Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to incorporate the Community Housing Fund into the Affordable Homes Programme; and if he will make a statement.
Support for the community led housing sector is already available through the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), through which groups - or their partner organisations - registered as providers of social housing may apply for capital grant to support affordable housing. In addition, we are considering a range of options through which the Department may support the community-led housing sector.
The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector - which includes community land trusts and housing co-operatives - offers significant untapped potential for helping to meet housing need across England. In addition to helping increase the rate of delivery of new housing, it will help deliver a range of benefits including diversifying the housebuilding sector, improving design and construction quality, developing modern methods of construction and helping sustain local communities and local economies. The support and close involvement of the local community enables the community-led approach to secure planning permission and deliver housing that could not be brought forward through mainstream development.