You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Homes England and GLA to announce almost 90 new strategic partnerships
Nearly 90 affordable housing providers will be awarded funds as part of the new £11.5bn Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced.
MHCLG said the money has been allocated to almost 90 strategic partners as part of the £8.6bn being handed out through the programme. This includes 53 London-based councils and housing associations, while the details of Homes England’s partners or the number of partners have yet to be released.
Homes England has allocated £5.2bn to a new set of strategic partners as part of its AHP funding allocation. While £3.56bn has been handed out by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to providers in London.
The partnerships will be made up of councils, housing associations and private providers, following changes to the rules that previously only allowed housing associations to bid for this type of grant.
Almost 119,000 homes, including 57,000 for ownership, 29,600 for social rent and 6,250 affordable rural homes, will be delivered using the funding, according to the government.
Strategic partnerships are one of two ways housing providers can access grant via the government’s £11.5bn AHP, which runs from this year until 2026.
Under this type of funding, Homes England and the GLA can enter into multiyear agreements that fund a partner’s larger development programme, rather than providing funding on a scheme-by-scheme basis.
In order to become a partner under this programme, housing providers had to commit to ensuring that 25% of their pipeline will be built using modern methods of construction.
READ MORE
Prospective partners also had to demonstrate how they are supporting Homes England’s other strategic objectives, including high-quality sustainable design and working with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
MHCLG said today’s funding will support up to 370,000 jobs across the country for home builders, SME developers and wider businesses supporting the housebuilding industry such as electricians and plumbers.
Nearly £5.2bn of the funding will be delivered outside of London by Homes England, with the rest being delivered within the capital by the GLA.
All of the shared ownership homes being delivered under the new AHP must adopt the government’s new shared ownership model, which includes a number of changes such as 1% staircasing.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Creating more opportunities for home ownership is central to this government. This £9bn funding is a landmark moment for our Affordable Homes Programme and will ensure good-quality housing for all as we build back better after the pandemic.
“This huge funding package will make the ambition of owning a home a reality for families by making it realistic and affordable.
“We are also ensuring tens of thousands of new homes for rent are built in the years ahead, including social rent, so those on the lowest incomes can enjoy good-quality, secure rented homes, built and managed by reputable providers.”
Peter Denton, chief executive of Homes England, said: “Not only does today’s announcement give our new strategic partners the funding, flexibility, and confidence they need to build much-needed affordable homes across the country, it also establishes a large network of organisations looking to share their skills and capabilities to expand the affordable housing sector and transform communities.
“By forming strategic partnerships with a wide range of public and private organisations, we are creating the conditions needed for institutional investment to catalyse affordable housing supply and in future give local authorities more of the tools they need to plan and act strategically, shaping their communities and building new homes.”
Rhys Moore, executive director of public impact at the National Housing Federation, said: “We welcome the announcement of the new strategic partners and are looking forward to supporting our housing association members, Homes England and the GLA to deliver the much-needed affordable homes the country needs, including thousands of new homes for social rent for people on the lowest incomes.
“Importantly, this long-term certainty over funding will unlock additional opportunities which will enable housing associations to deliver even more homes.”
Update: at 11.50am, 31/08/21
This article has been updated to make it clear that the nearly 90 providers mentioned includes strategic partners selected by both Homes England and the Greater London Authority.
