Councils Hoard £142m New Homes Bonus Cash

Six in 10 English councils are stockpiling new homes bonus cash rather than spending it on specific community projects. An exclusive Inside Housing survey of every English council found that 60 per cent of local authorities put all of the money gained through the new homes bonus in 2012/13 into their general fund, with just 31 per cent spending it on specific projects. The figures are likely to revive fears that cash-strapped councils are not spending the money directly on services for the community but are instead using it to shore up their budgets. Read more on Inside Housing.