§ 15. Maria EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to replace the estates renewal challenge fund with funding mechanisms which will facilitate the transfer of housing from local authority control. [54340]
§ Mr. RaynsfordMy right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced in his statement on 22 July that there would be no further rounds of the Estates Renewal Challenge Fund. Allocations already approved will, however, remain in place to enable all planned transfers to be completed.
We want authorities to take a more strategic look at how to meet the investment needs of all their housing. Where stock has a negative value and transfer is the best option, I would expect authorities to use their capital resources under the Housing Investment Programme to pay for it. Some negative value transfers may also form part of packages under the New Deal for Communities.