Council Housebuilding Support Fund: Assessment criteria
How applications to the Council Housebuilding Support Fund are assessed by Homes England.
Applies to England
Scope and purpose of the fund
The Council Housebuilding Support Fund aims to help councils:
- increase delivery of new-build, affordable homes, through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP)
- maximise the number of homes available for social rent
- ensure regional and place-based affordable housing priorities are delivered (in an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority (EMSA) area) wherever possible
What your proposal could include
We are looking for applicants to demonstrate and evidence how their proposal contributes to these aims and supports delivery of new social and affordable homes through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
If you received funding from 1 or both of the following schemes, we will expect you to evidence how you have completed activities for which you received funding. These schemes are:
- an earlier round of the Council Housebuilding Support Fund (CHSF)
- the Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS)
We will also ask you to confirm that, should you receive further funding, it will not be used to deliver the same activities and evidence how this funding will unlock additional affordable housing delivery.
We offer the following guidance on what we are looking for in relation to these aims:
Submitting a subsequent bid for grant funding to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme
You must show how your proposal will support you to submit a bid to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and, or, bring forward a planned bid more quickly than would otherwise be the case.
You should show how your proposal will increase the number of new affordable homes you will be able to deliver, compared to your existing plans.
Plans where activities are intended to unlock estate regeneration opportunities will be considered if there is a clear commitment and plan to increase the supply of new council housing.
We are keen to support plans for councils to deliver new affordable homes directly or in partnerships with other registered providers or developers. Ideally, these partnerships should result in council ownership of the homes, but we will also consider applications where the homes are owned by another registered provider.
Maximising the number of social rent homes delivered
We are looking for you to demonstrate how your proposal will lead to the delivery of homes for Social Rent.
Plans to deliver mixed-tenure schemes are acceptable where they can evidence local housing need.
Delivering regional and place-based housing priorities
Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities (EMSAs) are able to set the strategic direction of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme in their area, including shaping the tenure and mix of a scheme and identifying priority sites.
We are looking for councils in these areas to demonstrate how their proposal will help them deliver their EMSA’s affordable housing priorities.
Assessment criteria
When making an application, councils are encouraged to show a clear link between proposed activities and their ability to create ambitious and high-quality bids to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
Applications will be assessed to ensure the funding can deliver maximum impact.
The following criteria will be used:
- value for money
- deliverability
- strategic fit
Value for money
Proposals will be assessed on the basis of value for money to ensure the funding can deliver maximum impact.
To ensure the funding supports as many councils as possible, councils will be expected to maximise the use of their own funding to deliver their proposals.
Proposals need to show:
- total costs
- the amount of funding requested
- milestones and delivery timescales for spend associated with your proposals
- confirmation of the councils’ own funding and resources used to deliver activities and projects in addition to this funding
Deliverability
Funding is expected to be spent in the financial year in which it is awarded. You will need to demonstrate how activities and expenditure can be delivered within this timeframe. Early spend and delivery will be prioritised.
Additional weighting will be given to proposals that will support councils to submit bids to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme early and deliver additional affordable homes before mid-2029.
Proposals need to show:
- a clear plan and milestones to deliver the activities described including start and completion dates for the social and affordable homes to be delivered as a result
- the councils’ capability and capacity to undertake the activities described (including any recent, relevant track record of delivery)
- how and when the activities described will allow a bid for grant funding to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme
- any risks to delivery and planned mitigations
Strategic fit
Proposals will be assessed to take account of the extent to which they deliver 1 or more of the aims of the funding. These aims are described elsewhere in the guidance.
There will be a particular focus on proposals that will enable councils to meet the strategic objectives of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
Proposals must show evidence of how activities will support the council to:
- increase the speed and scale at which they could bid for grant funding via the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, compared to existing plans
- plan for and meet the wider aims of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme
The proposals must clearly show the types of new affordable homes the activities are intended to support the planning for and delivery of.
How to apply to the Council Housebuilding Support Fund
Find out how to apply to the Council Housebuilding Support Fund.