Woking secures £850k to deliver new homes for families in need
Woking Borough Council has secured £850,000 in government funding to increase its supply of much needed council homes.
The funding, awarded through the latest round of the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF), will support the purchase of high-quality homes for families facing homelessness, as well as households arriving under the Afghan Resettlement Programme.
The council has been provisionally awarded a capital grant of £849,000 and a revenue grant of £5,698 (a total allocation of £854,698), subject to completion of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was approved by the Executive last night (11 June).
The MOU commits the council to delivering a minimum of two homes for use as temporary accommodation during 2026/27 and a minimum of two homes for resettlement purposes, of which at least one must offer four or more bedrooms.
The council will use Section 106 contributions (funding received from developers), to match-fund the government grant, ensuring the scheme delivers best value while increasing the supply of much-needed affordable housing.
The initiative builds on Woking’s previous success through earlier rounds of the scheme, which have already delivered 28 homes in the borough, mainly through the refurbishment of long-term empty properties in Sheerwater.
Cllr Ian Johnson, Woking Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: Securing this funding is another positive step in our ongoing work to support residents who are facing homelessness while also playing our part in providing safe and stable homes for families rebuilding their lives in the UK.
These additional homes will help us reduce pressure on temporary accommodation and ensure more families can access good quality, settled housing in Woking.
The Government’s £950 million LAHF Round 4 programme is the largest to date and aims to tackle housing pressures nationwide by delivering thousands of new homes and reducing the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation.
Homes acquired using Round 4 funding to support the Afghan Resettlement Programme, may be made available to support wider local authority general housing and homelessness responsibilities after the needs of the eligible Afghan citizens have been addressed.