Wirral to join new Council Housebuilding Support Service project
Wirral is to join a new Government programme to help local authorities in delivering new council homes.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced the launch of the new Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS), a fully funded initiative to boost council-led housebuilding across England, at the recent LGA Annual Conference.
Wirral Council's inclusion in the new project has been welcomed by Council Leader, Cllr Paula Basnett.
Cllr Basnett said:
To be chosen as part of this flagship programme shows real confidence by the Government in Wirral Council’s housing team. Being part of this early wave of councils to be involved in the project will let us play a role in shaping the support that will help us in Wirral and elsewhere to provide that most basic of necessities – homes for those who need them.
Funded by the Ministry of Communities, Housing and Local Government (MHCLG), the programme will provide tailored capacity and capability support to help councils establish, enhance, or accelerate their delivery of high-quality, affordable council homes.
Following a shortlisting process, a vanguard of ten councils was selected to co-design the programme, where those councils identified local challenges that could be unlocked with national support:
With Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs):
- Cornwall Council
- Eastbourne Borough Council
- Newcastle City Council
- Salford City Council
- Southampton City Council
Without HRAs:
- London Borough of Merton
- Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
- Rother District Council
- Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
- Wirral Council
Whilst co-designing the programme, each of these councils will receive some bespoke support shaped around their specific needs, including access to expert advice, practical tools, peer learning, and strategic input.
Following this early phase with the vanguard, the full support offer will soon become available to all councils across England. Councils are encouraged to visit the CHoSS webpage and register their interest in the programme.
Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the LGA, said:
This new programme comes at a critical time for local government. Councils want to do more to deliver the council houses their communities need, and this initiative will give them the tools, advice and support to do just that.
The CHoSS programme is a positive step forward in unlocking the potential of councils to drive local housing delivery at scale, and we are pleased to be working with government on this shared ambition.
The CHoSS team will work closely with participating authorities over the summer to refine and test the self-assessment tool and co-produce a scalable model for broader rollout later in the year.
Additional information: Council Housebuilding Support Service | Local Government Association
