§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the bids he has received from bodies other than local authorities under the key worker housing grant scheme involving NHS staff; and for what amounts. [8689]
§ Ms KeebleThere was an excellent response to the invitation to submit bids for the £250 million Starter Home Initiative funding to help key workers in areas where high house prices are undermining recruitment and retention. More than 200 bids were received with a total1368W value of £830 million. 175 of these bids, with a value of £580 million, were invited to proceed to the second stage of the bid process.
The majority of bids were from registered social landlords, although a small number were from other organisations, including local authorities and private developers.
My right hon. Friend announced on 6 September the allocation of £230 million of the funding for 95 schemes. The schemes will provide assistance to 8,000 key workers, including 4,000 NHS staff, to purchase their first homes.
A further 2,000 key workers will be helped with interest free equity loans of £10,000 using the remaining £20 million of SHI funding. One thousand of these key workers are expected to be NHS staff.