Agenda item

Cabinet:

1. Approved the entering into the Grant Agreement (Local Authority) for which the key terms are set out in exempt appendix 1 in relation to the “Building Council Homes for Londoners Programme” to support the provision of 282 new units of affordable housing as shown in exempt appendix 2 of the report.

2. Agreed to delegate to the Leader of the Council, after consultation with the Director of Regeneration and the Director of Legal and Governance authority to agree to enter into any appropriate contractual extensions or variations in the general management arrangements relating to this Grant Agreement.

Consideration was given to the report to enter into the GLA Grant Agreement to Build Council homes for Londoners.

In May 2018 the Mayor of London published the prospectus “Building Council Homes for Londoners” which outlined the bidding and award criteria for a new affordable housing programme. The programme was established in response to the GLA securing additional funding from the Government to help start building at least 10,000 new council homes by March 2022 with a focus on increasing social rented properties by offering enhanced grant rates. Approved providers, including the Council, were invited to submit bids.

Following Cabinet decision of 10^th October 2018 the Council’s bid submitted centred on the delivery of additional affordable housing associated with the regeneration of Housing Estates owned and managed by the Councils Housing Services department, as well as other pipeline sites utilising underused housing land and extensions to current sites due for development by the Council’s Joint Ventures.

The Council submitted an ambitious bid for £122m across 24 sites, of which the GLA awarded grants to five sites totalling £24.046m to deliver 282 affordable homes, subject to entering into the Building Council Homes for Londoners contract.

The grant funding will be allocated to the Council through a programme approach which allows the affordable units to be delivered on alternative sites other than  those identified in the original bid with the agreement of the GLA. This affords the Council greater flexibility to deliver the 282 truly affordable homes in line with other area-based strategic objectives.

Following discussion,

Cabinet:

1. Approved the entering into the Grant Agreement (Local Authority) for which the key terms are set out in exempt appendix 1 in relation to the “Building Council Homes for Londoners Programme” to support the provision of 282 new units of affordable housing as shown in exempt appendix 2 of the report.

2. Agreed to delegate to the Leader of the Council, after consultation with the Director of Regeneration and the Director of Legal and Governance authority to agree to enter into any appropriate contractual extensions or variations in the general management arrangements relating to this Grant Agreement.