Fenland District Council has confirmed how it is using almost £900,000 of government housing money, revealing a series of property purchases across March and Wisbech designed to support both resettlement work and a growing local need for temporary accommodation.
Details were released following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the council, which shows the authority received £878,600 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) under Round 3 of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF).
The funding is part of a national programme aimed at helping councils secure homes for families supported through schemes such as the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), and for residents in urgent housing need.
Alongside the funding total, the council released a schedule of properties that have already been purchased or committed under the scheme, though it requested that the press use discretion around specific address details to protect the privacy of newly placed families.
Homes in March purchased for both resettlement and temporary accommodation
Three of the completed acquisitions are located in March, each purchased at different price points and intended for different forms of supported housing.
The first completed home – in March town – cost £175,995, with a £104,629 LAHF grant making up around 59% of the purchase price. The sale completed on 4 July 2025 and the property is being used for resettlement under the government’s refugee support schemes.
A second March property, purchased for £188,520, received £110,502 from the LAHF pot, again covering just under 60% of the cost. That sale completed on 13 November 2025, with the home being used for temporary accommodation, helping to relieve pressure on local housing services.
A third acquisition in the town cost £206,895, supported by £121,159 in LAHF funds, representing 58% of expenditure. This property completed slightly earlier, on 4 November 2025, and is also earmarked for temporary accommodation.
These purchases, the council says, form part of a wider strategy to expand the availability of council-managed temporary housing, reducing the authority’s reliance on costly nightly-rate placements and out-of-area provision.
Wisbech flats form part of larger refurbishment project
A further set of homes being supported through the LAHF programme are located in Wisbech and surrounding villages, where the council has committed to securing two one-bed flats as part of a larger refurbishment scheme costing £685,000 in total.
The LAHF contribution to this project is £190,000, around 28% of the overall cost. While the acquisitions themselves completed on 31 March 2025, refurbishment works are still underway.
These flats will also be used as temporary accommodation, providing smaller units suitable for single individuals or couples – a type of housing often in short supply in the district’s homelessness system.
More properties still to be secured
Fenland District Council confirmed that it is in the process of securing two further 2–3 bedroom homes and one four-bedroom property. These are expected to use the remaining LAHF allocation in full, with no unspent funds anticipated once purchases complete.
All LAHF money, according to the FOI response, has been “allocated as above,” with the council providing the necessary match-funding through its own capital programme.
The authority emphasised that the new homes will offer “long-term benefit” both to resettled families and to residents experiencing homelessness or sudden accommodation loss.
Council publishes decision notices, but urges privacy protection
The FOI response also included references to a number of Cabinet reports and delegated decision notices that have been published over the life of the scheme, dating back to 2023. These include decisions authorising purchases and updates on due-diligence work carried out on property portfolios linked to the LAHF programme.
While these reports contain property details already in the public domain, the council has asked that journalists exercise “care and discretion” when reporting on individual homes, noting that many are now occupied and that the privacy and wellbeing of residents should be considered.
The council also confirmed that required monitoring returns and progress reports to DLUHC have been completed, with copies provided through the FOI process.
A growing need for local housing solutions
The publication of the data comes at a time of increasing pressure on housing and homelessness services across Fenland. Rising private rents, economic pressures, and a limited local supply of suitable properties have all contributed to a sharp uplift in households requiring temporary accommodation.
By securing new homes through the LAHF programme, the council says it hopes to create a more stable and cost-effective network of properties, improving both the quality and predictability of housing support it can offer.
