Decision details

The purpose of this decision is to approve the funding of £3,000 to Eastern Community Homes to help towards the initial support and set up of the Community Hub in its second and third years of operation.

The Eastern Community Homes is a new Hub that provides support and advice on community-led housing to local authorities and their communities.  The Hub was established in 2020 and for its first year of operation funded by MHCLG, with the aim to be self-financing by year four.  It is supported by the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) and is one of a national network of community led housing hubs.  The services offered by the Hub include:

·         Raising awareness and training for local authorities and their local councils and communities.

·         Sharing expertise and experience of community-led housing across the eastern region.

·         Supporting the development of planning and housing policy to enable community-led housing.

·         Delivering technical advice and support to local councils and communities from inception to completion of community-led housing.

Within the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy 2019, the Council is committed to working with local communities to ensure villages remain vibrant and sustainable for the future.  This includes delivering affordable homes that will meet local needs.  Community-led development will compliment the Council’s work on bringing forward exception sites for affordable housing.

Since 2016/17, the Council has been working pro-actively with communities following funding received from the Government’s Community Housing Fund.  This enabled us to commission work to provide a community-led adviser one day a week for a year, raising the profile of community-led housing and working with start-up groups in the area as well as providing internal support within the Council.  This piece of work has now come to an end and has resulted in four local communities receiving seed funding to help set up a community-led housing group, with one group so far successfully being granted planning permission to provide 21 affordable homes for local people.  Of the initial raising of awareness of community-led housing, there has been interest shown from various communities.

Whilst the majority of the funding received from Government has been spent, there remains £5,800 which would support this initiative and therefore would be at no additional cost to the Council.  This money is ring-fenced for supporting community-led development.

To approve £3,000 funding from the monies received from the Government’s Community Housing Fund to support Eastern Communities Homes for the period 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2023.

The Council would benefit from the expertise and advice that is offered by the Hub and provide additional capacity and resource to increase delivery of affordable housing.

Option 1: To reject the request for grant funding to Eastern Community Homes.

Reason for Rejection: Eastern Community Homes are looking to work in partnership with the local authorities across the East of England, to which South Cambridgeshire would benefit from.  Without this partnership, it will be difficult for the Council to provide guidance and support to our communities in bringing forward community-led development.