Building the homes we need: How to access fully funded council housebuilding support

The UK faces an acute housing challenge. Demand continues to outstrip supply, with Government setting an ambitious mission to deliver 1.5 million homes over the term of this Parliament. Local authorities play a critical role in meeting this target. We need not only to address housing shortages but also to create sustainable and thriving communities.

Yet, building new council homes is far from straightforward. Councils often face barriers such as limited capacity, complex funding arrangements and navigating planning and procurement processes. The Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS) has fully funded places available on a programme designed to overcome the challenges that prevent housebuilding from accelerating.

CHoSS is an MHCLG initiative, delivered by the LGA with on-the-ground support from Local Partnerships. It provides tailored advice and practical tools to boost delivery. Whether it’s guidance on development finance, risk management or governance, the service equips councils with the expertise they need to turn ambition into action.

Accessing a bespoke support offer is simple: you need to submit a self-assessment of current capacity and capability needs, which you can request at bit.ly/CHoSS-form.

Since its launch, CHoSS has helped councils across England to unlock stalled projects, strengthen business cases and build confidence in delivery. The programme is free to access and offers a range of resources, from one-to-one support to knowledge-sharing events.

To learn more about how CHoSS can help your council build more homes, we are hosting a webinar on 21 January. You can register for free at bit.ly/CHoSS-webinar. The session will outline practical steps councils can take, highlight real-life success stories from other councils and answer your questions about how to access CHoSS support or submitting the self-assessment. 

Local Partnerships bridges the gap between central government policy and local government delivery, and we’re here to support you to deliver on government missions. As an in-house public sector delivery partner jointly owned by the LGA, HM Treasury and Welsh Government, we work solely for councils and combined authorities, central government departments and the Welsh Government.

If you’d like to know more or discuss how we can help, please get in touch with me at adele.gritten@localpartnerships.gov.uk.