To approve proposals for the use of funding provided under the Community-Led

Housing Fund.

THAT:

(a) the proposals detailed at paragraph 9 of the report for the use of funding to a

maximum of £503k from the Department of Communities and Local

Government under the Community-Led Housing Fund be approved; and

(b) authority be delegated to the director for adults and wellbeing to allocate the

available community-led housing funding to specific programmes, grants and

initiatives in order to implement the proposals.

The provisional allocation of funding to Herefordshire under the Community-Led

Housing Fund provides an opportunity to make significant investment in housing, which responds to the local needs of communities and promotes active participation in local decision making. The sum of £252k has already been transferred to the council by DCLG. Approval of the proposals will allow them to be submitted to DCLG, with the expectation that it will release the remaining £251K in initial funding.

The council does not submit proposals to use the funding. This would result potentially in half of the funding not being released by government and there being no agreed plan in place for utilising the funds already received. This option is not recommended as it would result in significant loss of opportunity to support community housing developments in Herefordshire on a significant scale, both in 2017 and in future years.

Considering other alternative proposals for submission to the Department of

Communities and Local Government (DCLG). This option is not recommended as the

proposals reflect the opportunities to support key local developments and potential for community-led housing and the capacity which will be required to support them.

Furthermore, any delay to the council’s submission is likely to lead to the loss of £251K of funding provisionally allocated by DCLG.