We challenged the Department about whether housing providers build homes where they are needed most. The Department does not allocate funding from the Programme based on its calculation of local housing need.20 Under strategic bidding, housing providers only state the region, not the local authority, in which they intend to build.21 The Department told us that local authorities state what mix of housing they would like when developing their local plans, and that housing providers follow these...

We challenged the Department about whether housing providers build homes where they are needed most. The Department does not allocate funding from the Programme based on its calculation of local housing need.20 Under strategic bidding, housing providers only state the region, not the local authority, in which they intend to build.21 The Department told us that local authorities state what mix of housing they would like when developing their local plans, and that housing providers follow these.22 The Department relies on housing providers to interact with local planning authorities and build homes where needed most, while ensuring value for mo Type: conclusion | Number: 9 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2023 2.2 The government believes that the programme already has several mechanisms in place to match delivery with local need and engage Local Authorities (LAs). Neve