Social housing, (safe, clean, warm, well-looked after social housing,) with lifetime tenancies, and reasonable rents, should be available to almost anyone and everyone, with the rent being set at a percentage of the household income.
Say 15%..... So if you have a household income of £20,000 the rent is £250 a month. £25,000 - £312.50 a month. £30,000 - £375.00 a month. £35,000 - £437.50 a month. £40,000 - £500.00 a month. £45,000 - £562.50 a month. £50,000 - £625.00 a month and so on. £55,000 - £687.50 a month. And a maximum of £750 a month. (Which is what you'd pay if you had a household income of £60,000 - (and this is the most anyone would pay... £750 a month.)
Not everyone wants to buy, and owning a property is often a burden, having to foot the bills for thousands of pounds worth of repairs.
Along with years and years of ongoing maintenance, never-ending decades of rising mortgage rates, and the risk of losing your home if you lose your job, (or become long term sick, or the interest rates rise to a very high level,) being a homeowner is a millstone around the neck for some people.
I know someone will say 'what about those earning a million or more a year?' but the fact is, most people who are wealthy/very high earners, probably won't want to rent social housing anyway! And we could have an upper earning limit. Say no-one with a household income of half a million or more can apply. Why shouldn't higher earners be allowed cheaper rent? (As well as lower earners...)