Leading councillors in Bracknell have agreed a £2.8 million spend on buying homes for families in need.
Bracknell Forest Council’s cabinet has agreed to spend millions of pounds to buy eight homes to be provided for families on its housing register.
The policy involves spending a total of £2.86 million for the purchase of four three-bedroom and four four-bedroom homes in the area.
These properties will be bought in partnership with a ‘Registered Provider’, the official name for a housing association.
The money has come from payments developers make to the council called section 106 contributions.
Councillor Helen Purnell (Labour, Easthampstead & Wildridings, cabinet member for environment, communities and housing, said: “We desperately need more affordable family homes for local people.
“The shortage of three- and four-bedroom homes for people on the housing register means families are spending years waiting for a home large enough for their needs.
“We’ve committed to changing that and are taking all the steps possible to reduce overcrowding and to make sure people have access to affordable homes large enough to raise their families. Investing developers’ money in eight homes is a simple, quick and effective way to help reduce overcrowding and bring down waiting times.
“It will complement the other schemes we have running to provide affordable and social rent homes for local people, including new build homes around the town centre.”
The policy was discussed at the council’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, November 4.
Mary Temperton (Labour, Great Hollands), the council leader, did not want developers to use the project as an excuse not to provide affordable homes within their developments.
Answering that concern, Brian Daly, the council’s head of housing, said: “When a developer is not able to provide affordable housing on site due to viability concerns, they have to have a fully costed argument and reasons and evidence as to why that affordable housing cannot be provided on that site, which usually or be challenged by the planning service.”
Earlier, Mr Daly stated 43 three-bedroom and five four-bedroom affordable rent homes were made available to people on Bracknell Forest Council’s housing register last year.
Cllr Guy Gillbe (Labour, Easthampstead & Wildridings), cabinet member for planning, asked a question about the ‘right to acquire’ that housing association tenants have.
Mr Daly replied that tenants have the right to acquire after being a tenant for three years.
However, he said the discounts available through ‘right to acquire’ are “significantly less” than ‘Right to Buy’ discounts.
The maximum discount in Bracknell Forest is £13,500 for a social rent property, compared with the £38,000 maximum right to buy discount for the South East.
The biggest registered provider in Bracknell is Abri, which acquired Silva Homes in October 2023.
