Apply to the Council Housebuilding Support Fund

The Council Housebuilding Support Fund is overseen by Homes England.

What can be funded

The fund is designed to support councils to prepare and submit bids for grant funding to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme more quickly and at a bigger scale than previously possible.

It will support councils to:

• deliver more new affordable homes (directly or in partnership with registered providers or developers)
• develop plans that maximise the number of homes delivered for social rent
• ensure regional affordable housing priorities are delivered (in an established mayoral combined authority area) wherever possible

Applications should show how proposals will better equip them to be able to bring forward bids for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme from April 2026 onwards.

Applications could include proposals for activities or projects including:

• knowledge development — such as training and upskilling staff, improving knowledge and understanding of process and bidding for the Affordable Homes Programme from 2026 onwards
• pipeline development — such as commissioning studies to identify a long list of deliverable sites or developing delivery strategies to unlock already-identified sites
• pre-development and enabling work — such as technical expertise and support to bring forward sites and secure planning permission
• partnership working — such as supporting engagement, co-ordination and joint working opportunities with registered providers and developers
• additional staffing — such as interim staff, project managers, and consultants that bring relevant technical expertise

What cannot be funded

The fund cannot support applications for funding where proposals include:

• costs that can be capitalised to the project that they relate
• costs that can be funded through other means (such as proposals where council resources have already been allocated)
• funding that would cover day-to-day expenditure (applications to cover staff or consultants must show how the work they will be doing relates to new activity)

Who should apply

Funding from the Council Housebuilding Support Fund is available to all councils in England (outside of London).

We particularly encourage applications from:

• councils already delivering through the Affordable Homes Programme 2021 to 2026 who, with additional support, could increase the number of new affordable homes delivered

• councils close to delivering through the Affordable Homes Programme 2021 to 2026 and with additional support could submit ambitious new proposals

• councils exploring partnerships with registered providers and developers, who, with additional support, could speed up or increase delivery

Available funding

£5.5 million in funding is available until 31 March 2026.

Councils can submit a single proposal up to a maximum of £300,000. A proposal can cover multiple activities.

How to apply

Your application should evidence how your proposal aligns with the overall objectives of the fund. It should show a clear link between proposed activities and your ability to create ambitious and high quality bids to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme from 2026 onwards.

Find out about assessment criteria for the Council Housebuilding Support Fund.