Underspend as Chichester District Council and partners buy 30 small homes
A project between Chichester District Council and others to buy 30 small homes has been successful, with a budget underspend of £550,000.
In September 2024, the council teamed up with Hyde Housing, with the aim of providing socially rented homes for people living in temporary housing – thus saving the authority around £600,000 on expensive bed and breakfast accommodation.
The council paid 30 per cent of the costs – taken from a budget of £2.5m – Hyde paid another 30 per cent, while Homes England paid the remainder.
During a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday (September 1), councillors received a post-project evaluation and were told that 30 one-bedroom homes had been bought, with just over £1.8m being spent.
Most of the homes are in or near the centre of Chichester, close to support services, with a handful in Midhurst.
An average of £16,000 was spent bringing the properties up to scratch – though Hyde Housing will meet all ongoing maintenance costs.
The unspent money will be allocated to the new Affordable Housing Grant Programme.