Funding opportunities

What Is It?

A range of funding opportunities exist for EDG and SEHG partners from the Government and other sources to support housing growth and related services. Bids are either made on an individual basis or in partnership depending the requirements set out in the bidding prospectus.

What Are We Doing?

EDG and SEHG partners will support bids to Government wherever possible to ensure they are robust and have the best chance of success. Bidding teams lead by key partners are often used to maximise the opportunities.

A list of Government Housing funding streams in Essex can be found here. Also see Gov.uk for the latest.

Present & past statements, strategies and funding programmes:

Autumn Statement November 2023 – coming soon.

Autumn Statement November 2022 sets out the Government’s priorities focusing on economic stability and reverses nearly all the measures in the Growth Plan 2022.

The National Infrastructure Strategy 2020, sets out the Government’s plans to transform the UK’s economic infrastructure. Some of the key Government (place related) funding plans were set out their Spending Review 2020 (LGA summary).

Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26

Guidance on how to apply for the Affordable Homes Programme 2021 to 2026, information about the New Shared Ownership Model and Right to Shared Ownership.

For further information please email: ahp2126@homesengland.gov.uk

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Green Homes Grant

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator

Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme: entering a bid

Rough Sleeping Initiative 2020-21

Funding allocations

5 new garden towns – £3.7 million

Five brand new garden towns have been unveiled unlocking up to 64,000 much-needed homes across England, the Minister of State for Housing announced on 25 March 2019.

The 5 successful bids include:

• Easton Park Garden Community, North Uttlesford Garden Community and West of Braintree Garden Community, an opportunity to deliver up to 18,500 homes

The government is committed to bringing forward a minimum of 5 additional Garden Communities, schemes being considered in Essex are located at:

• Harlow-Gilston
• North Essex
• Dunton Hills near Brentwood, Essex

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/37-million-to-fund-5-new-garden-towns-across-the-country

Community led housing – £6m

Communities across the country are set to benefit from a £6 million funding boost to help them build more of the homes that their area needs.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/malthouse-boosts-funding-for-community-led-affordable-housing

Future High Streets Fund – £675m

Themes for eligibility include: “supporting change of use including (where appropriate) housing delivery and densification”.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/767749/Future_High_Streets_Fund_prospectus.pdf

Unitary authorities and districts councils are encouraged to make expressions of interest by 22 March 2019.

Community Housing Fund – £163m

The government is making available £163 million across England up to 2020 to 2021 through the Community Housing Fund.  

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-housing-fund 

 Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 to 2021: prospectus  

This prospectus invites applications for up to £4.7 billion of funding via Continuous Market Engagement (CME) to increase the supply of new shared ownership and affordable homes.  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-ownership-and-affordable-homes-programme-2016-to-2021-prospectus 

Additional housing revenue account borrowing programme: prospectus  (now withdrawn as the cap has been lifted)

Prospectus originally invited local authorities in areas of high affordability pressure to bid for additional borrowing to build new council housing.  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/additional-housing-revenue-account-borrowing-programme-prospectus 

 Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund  

The Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund (CASSH) aims to support and accelerate the development of specialist affordable housing which meets the needs of older people and adults with disabilities or mental health problems, accessible via Continuous Market Engagement (CME).

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/care-and-support-specialised-housing-fund 

Garden Communities: prospectus

This prospectus sets out the Government could support local areas who want to create new garden communities of at least 1,500 homes, with priority given to those of over 10,000 homes.

Submission for proposals closed 9 November 2018.

Land Assembly Fund / Small Sites Fund

For developers, the £1.3 billion Land Assembly Fund was set up to bring forward and de-risk land for development.

For public land owners or local authorities the £630 million Small Sites Fund was there to speed up getting the right infrastructure in place to support home building on stalled small sites to provide the homes their communities need.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-investment-to-overcome-barriers-to-building

The Housing Infrastructure Fund

The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a government capital grant programme of up to £5.5 billion, which will help to deliver up to 650,000 new homes in England.

The fund is divided in 2 parts:

• a Marginal Viability Fund to provide the final or missing piece of infrastructure funding to get additional sites allocated or existing sites unblocked quickly
• a Forward Fund for a small number of strategic and high-impact infrastructure projects

The fund is now closed, further information including successful projects in Essex can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-infrastructure-fund

Housing delivery fund

Government partnership with Barclays Bank to provide £1bn of loan finance for small and medium housebuilders.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-billion-housing-delivery-fund-launched-by-brokenshire-in-partnership-with-barclays

Planning Delivery Fund

The Planning Delivery Fund prospectus invited local authorities and third sector organisations to submit bids for an initial £11 million of resource funding to support

new homes and infrastructure and stimulate (with third sector organisations if necessary) innovation in the way planning services are delivered.

The bid for expressions of interest closed 11 January 2018.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-delivery-fund-prospectus

Homes England’s Five Year Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan & objectives for the period 2018/19 to 2022/23 can be found here. These include: unlocking land / investment, increasing productivity, driving market resilience, supporting local areas and delivering home ownership products.

Homes England – New Strategic Partnerships with Housing Associations

First wave of 8 SPs with Homes England – aim to deliver 14,280 affordable homes by 2022. £2bn for 2022–2029.

Seven more strategic partnerships were confirmed in October 2018, which will deliver an additional 13,475 affordable homes by March 2022.

Bringing the total number of additional affordable homes that will be delivered to 27,755.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/homes-england-agrees-first-wave-of-strategic-partnerships-to-ramp-up-building-of-affordable-homes

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/homes-england-confirms-new-wave-of-strategic-partners

Funding allocated for councils to help rough sleepers

Government has set out plans to fund 83 areas with the highest numbers of people at risk over the next 2 years.

Includes Basildon, Southend and Harlow.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-allocated-for-councils-to-help-rough-sleepers

MHCLG Digital

Local authorities were invited to bid for £7.5 million funding to break their dependence on inflexible technology, adopt the best digital ways of working, and offer excellent local services for less. The fund will enable this by training around 1000 local government staff in digital skills. It will also seed fund a toolkit of reusable tools and products that help service teams redesign their services to Declaration standards.

Expressions of interest closed 24 September, full applications closed 15 November 2018.