Housing Corporation News Release

Government announcements welcomed as Housing Corporation announces second round of regular market engagement

Tuesday 2 September       ref: 64/08

Measures and reforms announced today by the Government in response to the current challenges faced by the housing market have been welcomed by the Housing Corporation.

The Housing Corporation has today also announced that £306.9 million has been allocated to deliver 4,001 affordable homes for rent and 2,185 for sale (6186 total) following the second round of its regular market engagement.

Flexibilities for the second round regular market engagement process were announced in July which shortened the timescales for this round, which has led to a more continuous bidding process.

Housing Corporation Chief Executive Steve Douglas said, “We continue to be impressed by the quality of bids that are being brought forward and we expect that the changes that we have now made to the system - to move to the more flexible system of continuous market engagement - will provide additional flexibility for our partners. Partners can now put a bid to us at any point and our clear expectation is that we will provide a response within five weeks.”

Today’s Housing Corporation second round of RME announcement will see:

• £306.9 million allocated to deliver 4,001 affordable homes for rent and 2,185 for sale (6,186 total).

The new measures announced today by Government to help the housing market include:

• a new mortgage rescue scheme to help the most vulnerable families at risk from repossession; 
• a new shared equity scheme which will help first time buyers wishing to buy their own home; and 
• a boost in spending power for social housing providers, including registered social landlords and councils, to deliver more social houses by bringing funding forward.

Ends.

For further press information: Housing Corporation Press Officer Terry Sefton 020 7393 2118.

Notes for editors:

The Housing Corporation is the Government's national affordable homes agency, responsible for investing in new affordable homes and regulating nearly 2,000 housing associations across England. The Housing Corporation is working with English Partnerships, the Academy of Sustainable Communities and the Department for Communities and Local Government to establish two new bodies, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the Tenant Services Authority (TSA), which are due to launch this December.