The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has allocated £4million in revenue funding to the Community Housing Fund for 2021/22.
Welcomed by the community led housing sector, the funding will support community-based organisations, but does not include capital funding.
This means that many groups will need to be able to make use of alternative sources, such as the the new Levelling-Up Fund and the Shared Prosperity Fund. This is crucial as not all groups are eligible for the Affordable Homes Programme or Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP).
Commenting on the news, the National Community Land Trusts Network welcomed the announcement as evidence that government is continuing its support for community led housing. This will enable communities nationwide to bring on innovative and affordable homes.
The National CLT Network ran an extensive campaign to get funding renewed, including its members contacting over 80 MPs, and commissioning independent evidence of the pipeline of homes ready to be delivered and the funding that would be needed to help turn these plans into homes.
Catherine Harrington, Joint CEO of the National CLT Network said, “We welcome the Government’s decision to allocate £4million in revenue funding to the Community Housing Fund for 2021/22. This is an encouraging step in the right direction.
“More investment will be needed to deliver the pipeline of homes. We saw revenue bids to the previous Fund amount to £27million and our research shows there is a demand for up to £53million in revenue funding over the next five years, with demand growing all the time.
“We expect an overwhelming number of applications to this 2021/22 Fund. This will demonstrate the need for more and longer-term public investment in community led housing. We look forward to making that case in the next Spending Review”
The National CLT Network will continue to make the case to HM Treasury and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for longer-term funding for community led housing in the next Spending Review, which is due to take place later this year.
Image credit: Marmalade Land Cohousing project.
