Decision details

1. To accept £214,600 in grant funding from the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF).

2. To enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to secure the Local Authority Housing Fund grant award.

DLUHC launched the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) in December 2022, and a second round of funding was announced in March 2023. The two rounds provided over £750m to help meet the housing requirements of Ukrainian and Afghan families fleeing conflict, and to assist local authorities in meeting the needs of people facing homelessness in their area.
CBC took part in this initiative, receiving £2.36m in grant funding and providing 21 affordable homes for Ukrainian and Afghan families.
On 5th January 2024, DLUHC announced that it wished to invite local authorities to express their interest in increasing their LAHF delivery across either LAHF 1 or 2, or a combination of both, if funding becomes available as a result of underspends elsewhere. If grant funding is made available to CBC, then these funds must be committed by 31st August 2024.
On Thursday 29th February 2024 CBC were informed by DLUHC that we have received (subject to the Council’s formal acceptance and entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with DLUHC) £214,600 in grant funding from the Government’s LAHF following on from our successful expression of interest to DLUHC dated 19th January 2024.
The LAHF grant funding award (£214,600) covers costs of up to £87,300 per property, with a further £20,000 per property allocated to cover additional costs, such as refurbishment. Our intention will be to utilise these dwellings for Ukrainian families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Cheltenham. Crucially, there is both the capacity and the budget to deliver these homes by 31st August 2024, as the intention would be simply to convert homes already being acquired by CBC as part its existing buy-back programme. CBC has committed to delivering two properties through the £214,600 LAHF grant funding award, with assistance from the Council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

To reject the £214,600 grant funding award from DLUHC.
It is proposed that this option is rejected as such a decision would undermine the Council’s efforts in alleviating local housing pressures arising from the Ukrainian crisis.

This decision is supported following discussions with senior officers within CBC and Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH). CBC’s Cabinet Member for Housing has been provided with a copy of the Officer Decision and has been given details regarding the background to the funding proposal.