Decision details

GMCA has received capital funding from DLUHC to improve the quality of social housing and tackle damp and mould health hazards. GMCA have responsibility and accountability for the allocation of the funding to social housing providers, including discretion over the funding criteria as long as it supports improvements to the physical decency of social housing.

The GMCA meeting on 30 June 2023 approved an approach and process for allocating grant to social housing providers in Greater Manchester, via a competitive funding round. It was agreed that the funds would be allocated to eligible applicants, requiring a minimum 25% match funding, and prioritised as follows:
• Band 1: Dealing with Category 1 damp and mould HHSRS hazards;
• Band 2: Dealing with Category 2 damp and mould HHSRS hazards facing vulnerable households;
• Band 3: Dealing with other Category 2 damp and mould HHSRS hazards;
• Band 4: Dealing with properties where tenants have reported damp and mould issues and surveys have identified remedial action required;
• Band 5: Supporting ‘infill’ works to properties of archetypes with vulnerable tenants where issues are known to occur and where evidence demonstrates elevated risks of hazards occurring;
• Band 6: Supporting ‘infill’ works to properties of archetypes where issues are known to occur and where evidence demonstrates elevated risks of hazards occurring.

As required by DLUHC, GMCA have developed an Evaluation Plan for SHQF comprising: (1) Programme and delivery monitoring; (2) Externally commissioned qualitative evaluation; and (3) Post programme evaluation. With agreement from DLUHC, up to £160k of the funding has been ringfenced to support evaluation activities.

Following an assessment which included three phases:
1) Assessment of applications on pass/fail criteria
2) Scoring all bids on strategic fit and delivery assurance
3) Completing Value for Money assessments in bids with Bands 4-6 properties,
GMCA considers that all bidders are eligible for SHQF funding and recommended the allocation of capital funding set out below, approved by GMCA Chief Executive, in consultation with Portfolio Leader and Chief Executive for Housing under delegated authority. In summary, £14.84m of grant is being offered to 17 social housing providers in GM to deliver physical improvements to up to 12,835 homes, with £5.34m (26% of total costs) in match funding provided by successful applicants.

GMCA wishes to award amounts as follows:
Bolton at Home - £2,263,700
First Choice Homes Oldham - £480,679
ForHousing Limited - £250,000
Great Places Housing Association - £570,990
Irwell Valley Housing Association - £757,577
MSV Housing Group - £475,333
One Manchester Limited - £2,950,117
Onward Homes Limited - £526,500
Places for People - £376,491
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing - £1,846,843
Salix Homes - £679,683
Six Town Housing - £520,607
Southway Housing Trust - £253,156
Stockport Homes Ltd - £168,355
The Guinness Partnership Ltd - £1,267,163
The Riverside Group - £899,587
Wythenshawe Community Housing Group - £556,530