Housing Project

'Providing a Transitional Support Package to Member Councils'

The Housing Project is being developed at a time of significant change for local councils and the communities they serve.  Against a background of public funding constraints and an emphasis on localism, the Coalition Government proposes a number of important policy changes for housing.

These  include:

• Changes to the funding mechanisms for the delivery of affordable housing
• An increased emphasis on localism including, for example moving away from housing targets for local authorities towards establishing incentive schemes to deliver new homes
• Likely significant reductions in funding available to deliver new homes and maintain existing stock
• Establishing the new 'Green Deal'
• Likely reforms to allocations policies
• Likely reforms to Welfare benefits including Housing Benefit

Part of the Housing Project is to support member local authorities' understanding of these proposed changes, whether through new legislation, policy or guidance, and to assess their likely impact which will vary according to issues such as:

• Whether the Council has retained its own housing stock
• The tenure breakdown of the local housing stock
• Local rent levels
• Local house prices and land values

The East of England LGA has also agreed the need to establish a range of local authority based networks to support local council Portfolio holders, including  a Housing Portfolio holders' network. The Housing Project will assist in the establishment of this network, however over the longer term it is envisaged that local councils will develop their capacity to service this network approach.

Find out more

Further details will published as the project develops, however if you would like additional information please contact Graham Tomlinson, Housing Project Manager at graham.tomlinson@eelga.gov.uk.