Housing providers in England can now bid on a share of approximately £800 million of the Homes and Communities Agency's(HCA) Affordable Homes Programme.

The second phase of bidding has begun following confirmation in July that £886m has already been allocated to 2,697 firms, which will result in over 43,000 new homes.

As in phase one, housing schemes proposed by bidders will be subject to rigorous assessment, based on fit with local priorities, value for money and deliverability.

Commenting on the opening of the second round of bidding, HCA Chief Executive Andy Rose said: "We have already set in place a solid delivery programme that puts us on track to make a significant contribution towards government’s aspirations for up to 165,000 new affordable homes by March 2018, while supporting overall housing supply and local people and places.

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"It will also help ensure a smooth transition from our current Affordable Homes Programme, delivering firm schemes that can start on site promptly.

Opening for bidding for the remaining funding under CME will give new and existing partners the opportunity to bring forward bids to meet their future development aspirations. We will use our strong relationships with local authorities to ensure that allocations under the Affordable Homes Programme continue to support local priorities."

Also commenting on the scheme was Housing Minister Brandon Lewis, who said: "The government is delivering on affordable housing for the communities and people of this country with more than 200,000 new affordable homes since 2010.

"Our latest investment is a clear sign of the government’s continued commitment to increasing the overall housing supply and affordable housing in particular. As well as building homes this funding is also a key part of our long-term economic plan, creating construction jobs as we deliver a further 165,000 new affordable homes from 2015."

(MH/CD)