The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has confirmed that well over half the 165 uncommitted Kickstart and Local Authority New Build (LANB) schemes under review have now secured funding, following further evaluation in the wake of reductions to the HCA's budget announced in July.

This equates to 44 out of a total of 74 Kickstart schemes and 61 LANB schemes out of a total of 91 schemes which were not under contract before the election purdah period began and subject to evaluation by the HCA’s local teams. This will translate into over 4,800 new homes under Kickstart and over 600 homes under LANB, securing hundreds of new jobs and apprenticeships across England and providing a much needed housing boost for communities.

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For individual schemes that did not secure Kickstart or LANB funding, there are still further opportunities for HCA funding through other routes such as NAHP or HMR, and the HCA is working with its regional teams to progress this.

Chief Executive of the HCA, Sir Bob Kerslake, said: "Following a period of uncertainty, I am pleased to be able to firm up the position with our partners. Our allocations, based firmly on discussions with partners, have maximised the supply of affordable housing and value for money, meeting local priorities."

"By taking a localist approach we’ve achieved much more than we would have done by acting in isolation."

Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman at the Home Builders' Federation said: "By reallocating funding in this way, the Government and HCA have demonstrated they appreciate the substantial social and economic benefits of maintaining housing supply. It is great news for prospective home owners and the house building industry alike."

(CD/GK)