In March 2023, it was announced that the Local Authority Housing Fund would be expanded by £250m for a second round of funding (LAHF R2), with the majority of the additional funding used to house those on Afghan resettlement schemes (ARAP/ACRS) currently in bridging accommodation and the rest used to ease wider homelessness pressures.
Thanet has been identified as eligible for capital grant funding with an indicative allocation of £694,000 in funding to purchase 4 homes for the resettlement element and 1 home for the Temporary Accommodation element.
A Memorandum of Understanding was returned to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in August 2023 which registered the council’s interest in the scheme. In order to utilise the grant It will be necessary to match fund the acquisitions with £788,860k of additional borrowing within the HRA capital programme. The properties must be purchased by 31st March 2024.
Decision type: Key
Reason Key: Expenditure or Making one-off Savings anticipated to be £250,000 or more*;
Decision status: For Determination
Wards affected: Thanet Villages Ward;
Notice of proposed decision first published: 11/10/2023
Explanation of anticipated restriction:
me.
Decision due: 24 Oct 2023 by Overview & Scrutiny Panel
Decision due: 16 Nov 2023 by Cabinet
Lead member: Councillor Helen Whitehead, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr-Helen.Whitehead@thanet.gov.uk
Lead director: Bob Porter
Contact: Ashley Jackson, Head of Housing and Planning Email: ashley.jackson@thanet.gov.uk.
What the decision will mean: Approval to spend the second round of the Local Authority Housing Grant of £694,000 and the £788,860 match funding from the HRA to purchase 5 houses to accommodate households on the Ukraine and Afghan refugee scheme