The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched this year’s Housing Advisers Programme (HAP), a scheme to help councils overcome housing challenges in their local areas.

Councils can apply for funding of up to £20,000, to commission independent expertise for specific projects to tackle the effects of the housing crisis in local communities.

Over the last five years of the HAP, the LGA has supported more than 150 projects across England, helping councils with issues including building homes, reducing homelessness and rough sleeping, planning for ageing populations, understanding the student housing market and increasing supply of modular housing.

This year, for the first time, there will be a second strand to the HAP, aimed at councils who want to play a more direct role in building more homes in their local area, but have very little or no experience of doing so. This strand will be an action learning programme, giving participants the opportunity to explore which of the different routes to housing delivery will work best in their local area.

Applications for both strands of the HAP close at 5pm on 24 November 2022 and can be made through the LGA’s website.