West Northamptonshire Council secures maximum funding from Government to help deliver more social housing
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has secured the maximum amount of funding from central Government, which is earmarked to help deliver more social housing.
According to the council, the £300,000 worth of funding from the Government’s Council Housebuilding Support Fund (CHSF) will strengthen the council’s ability to deliver on its long-term ambition to increase the supply of “high-quality, affordable homes, support regeneration across local communities, and ensure that housing growth meets the needs of residents now and in the future”.
A spokesman for the council said: “WNC will use the funding to develop a strong pipeline of future housing schemes by identifying and assessing suitable council and privately owned land; accelerating feasibility and design work on sites already earmarked for development; providing specialist staffing resources and expert advice to support programme delivery; and investing in officer training to upskill teams and enhance in-house expertise in housing delivery.”
Councillor Charlie Hastie, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, added: “We’re really pleased to have secured the maximum funding available through this programme. This investment will help us strengthen our capacity and expertise so that we can bring forward more affordable homes for local people, faster.
"As demand for affordable homes continues to grow, this funding will play a key role in helping us deliver high-quality, sustainable homes that meet the needs of our residents and communities across West Northamptonshire and is an important step in ensuring we are well prepared to make the most of future Government funding opportunities and deliver the right homes in the right places.”
The CHSF is a £5.5 million national fund established by the Government and Homes England to support councils in strengthening their capacity to deliver new housing. It aims to help local authorities prepare to take advantage of future grant opportunities through the forthcoming £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP), which will launch in 2026 and deliver a decade of new affordable housing.
The CHSF forms part of the Government’s Council Housebuilding Skills & Capacity Programme (CHSCP), delivered in partnership with Homes England and the Local Government Association. The programme is designed to help councils upskill their workforce, recruit specialist expertise and accelerate the pipeline of affordable housing projects nationwide.