As part of a trio of announcements, government announced Right to Build Task Force funding with £600k, which will enable the Task Force to continue to operate for three years. The news was shared along with the response to the Help to Build equity loan fund and the official response to the Bacon Review.
NaCSBA welcomes the funding, especially as the Task Force was a NaCSBA initiative, designed to support the growth of the sector with knowledge and training of policy and practice.
Thanks to the Task Force funding, the body will be able to work with many more local authorities, in addition to the free guidance and advice notes, masterclasses and study visits it offers to promote the emerging best practice in custom and self build delivery. In addition, it offers free introductory workshops and chargeable health checks for local authority housing and planning teams.
Not only does the Task Force work with local authorities but it is able to support businesses, such as developers and land promoters and community groups, working as a consultancy.
For all of this work, it draws on its panel of experts, drawn from a range of specialist fields that give it great reach across a breadth of professions.
Originally funded by the Nationwide Foundation, since 2020 the Task Force has been partially funded by government. This latest tranche of funding reflects government’s ambition for custom and self build to diversify the housing market, and the role local authorities play in delivering this how to facilitate self and custom build delivery, both via the Right to Build legislation and beyond.
Bryony Harrington, Head of the Task Force said, “The news of a further £600k Task Force funding is transformational for the, supporting us in the delivery our vision. Not only does this enable us to press on with our current programme of support, but it offers surety that allows us to develop new streams of training and advice to further support growth.
“While the legislation firmly places custom and self build on the agenda, the fact remains that many authorities do not have varied experience of the spectrum of models. This means our role as educators is vital to support growth, not least with elected members who have a crucial role to play in effecting positive change.
“We would like to thank the Department of Levelling Up for its continued commitment to the sector, and for its confidence that custom and self build can secure more, and better housing.”
Image: A Task Force study visit to the Netherlands with Custom Build Homes
