Report on Housing Minister, Alok Sharma, announcement at the first national Community Led Housing Conference, Monday 27th November 2017

An excellent event with around 500 attendees and many useful workshops - thanks to all at the CLT Network, Co-housing Network and CDS Co-operatives.

Very good news. The Minister’s speech was one of the best I’ve heard at such events showing real understanding of CLH and its role in driving change in the UK housing market. The Minister confirmed that the £60m pa over four more years will continue, and that the funding will be available for any community – rural, market town or urban, with no link to second home levels.

The funding will be administered by Homes England (ie the HCA), with a supervisory panel from the community housing sector ensuring the money is spent as intended. A prospectus will be published shortly, with first applications invited in January 2018. As the funding will be administered by HE there is talk of community groups applying for capital grant having to become RPs (Registered Providers ie Housing Associations), or at least development partners.  I expect the current policy may continue whereby a CLT is not required to become an RP if it intends to contract it’s allocation policy to a Housing Association to manage. There is also mention that the Local Authority or Housing Association could provide a fundholding service which would also avoid the need for the CLT to become an RP. Clarifications are being sought on CLH projects that may not include affordable housing. More detail is expected soon.

Well done to those in the networks who have put in so much time communicating with the government on this - the Co-housing and CLT Networks, CDS co-ops, Self-help Housing and the Confederation of Co-operative Housing.