To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's explanatory memorandum to its Supplementary Estimate 2017-18, what assessment he has made of the effect on housebuilding of surrendering £166m for accelerated construction (National Productivity Investment Fund) in 2017-18.
Answered on
8 March 2018
There will overall be no impact on the programme.
We are finalising the details of the new refocused Accelerated Construction programme to ensure that it will deliver additional houses whilst also freeing up cash to maximise support for our wider housing priorities including investing £9 billion into building more affordable homes and an additional £2 billion targeted at social rent. Housing developments take time to move forward.
By comparison, in 2009/10 the then Minister for Housing allowed an underspend of £144 million for housing and a potential £122 million on regeneration.