Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing for the building of more housing co-operatives.

The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector, of which housing co-operatives and community land trusts are an important part, offers significant untapped potential for helping to meet housing need across England. In addition to helping increase the rate of delivery of new housing, it can help deliver a range of benefits including diversifying the housebuilding sector, improving design and construction quality, developing modern methods of construction, and helping sustain local communities and local economies. The support and close involvement of the local community can enable the community-led approach to secure planning permission and deliver housing that could not necessarily be brought forward through mainstream development.

Since the most recent round of the Community Housing Fund (CHF) closed in March 2022, the Government has been considering what support it may provide to the community-led housing sector and a decision will be made in due course. In London, the Greater London Authority continues to deliver a programme to support for community-led housing using a grant of £38 million awarded to it from the CHF by this department in 2018/19.

For certain tenures of affordable housing, community-based groups - or their partner organisations - registered as providers of social housing may apply for capital grant through the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP).