Funding plan for new Halton homes
HALTON Borough Council is weighing up whether to bid for a share of £2.3bn worth of Government funding designed to build infrastructure and new homes.
Communites Secretary Sajid Javid has launched the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) which could unlock 100,000 homes in areas of high demand.
Local authorities across England has been invited to offer proposals to the Department For Communities And Local Government ( DCLG) to help homes be built faster.
Funding will also be available to help build new schools, healthcare centres and digital infrastructure to accommodate growing areas and alleviate pressure on public services.
Once proposals have been approved, a DCLG spokesman said it is expected local authorities would begin building the infrastructure immediately and for the homes to follow quickly afterwards.
A Halton Borough Council spokeswoman said: “We’re currently assessing our projects against the criteria and timescales for the funding.
“There are a number of criteria that need consideration, such as spending the funding by 2020-21, and the bidding process will take until summer 2018 to make the awards, therefore, only certain projects would fit this time window.”
The HIF is part of the Government’s wider £23bn National Productivity Investment Fund, which targets spending on areas critical to boosting productivity, including on housing, transport and digital communications.
Mr Javid said: “To build the homes this country needs, we need to deliver the right infrastructure in the right place at the right time.
“By investing in local infrastructure, we can help unlock building thousands of new homes in the areas where they are needed most.
“The Housing Infrastructure Fund will also make sure we have better public services in place for local communities.”
The DCLG spokesman said the fund will support councils to step up their plans for growth, release more land for housing and obtain attractive, well designed homes that people want to live in, built at pace and scale.
Exchequer secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones, said: “Where we live plays a huge part in our lives; from the distance of our commute to local facilities. By ensuring we have enough housing in areas where it is needed the most, we can boost productivity and support new communities to grow and thrive.”
Lord Porter is chairman of the Local Government Association.
He said: “We’re pleased that the government has followed through on its commitment to invest in infrastructure linked to housing and that this to be led by councils, as we outlined on our preliminary Housing Commission findings last year.
“Going forward, what’s crucial is that the arrangements to access this fund are flexible, especially around different housing tenures, and that all councils can access funds to deliver housing for their communities.
“Councils know their communities, and the places in them, best and so it’s right that approaches to invest in local infrastructure are led by local authorities.” ●