Essex: £20m For New Homes

Essex could receive nearly twenty million pounds as part of a housing reward.

The Government's New Homes Bonus will see councils in Essex will share the cash payout if they get building. 

More than £81 million is available across the East of England for councils who build new homes and affordable houses. In Essex, just under 5,000 new homes have been built in the last year, and nearly 2,000 affordable properties. 

The bonus scheme also sees a big push on renovating empty properties, with over 50,000 unused buildings due to be brought back into use. 

Housing Minister Mark Prisk believes the rewards will help communities and the building industry alike. The MP for Bishop's Stortford said: "Developers found themselves at loggerheads with communities unconvinced that their plans for growth would help them. 

"Local people are able to see the rewards of new developments in their area - paving the way for thousands of much-needed, locally-supported homes". 

Today's provisional allocation means that councils will have received over £1 billion through the New Homes Bonus scheme since 2011.