The Government has set aside a £45m funding pot to help councils release some of their unused or surplus land for housing.

This will help to meet the ambition to unlock enough council-owned land for at least 160,000 homes by 2020.

Alongside the new Land Release Fund, the Government’s One Public Estate programme will also release £9m to support more councils to deliver ambitious property-focused programmes.

The programme channels funding and support through councils to deliver ambitious property-based projects.

By 2020, councils on the programme are expected to deliver £615m in capital receipts, £158m running costs savings, and release land for 25,000 new homes.

This partnership between DCLG and One Public Estate will give local authorities greater access to support from across government and help them to release more land, more efficiently.

Minister for Government Resilience and Efficiency, Caroline Nokes, said: “One Public Estate is enabling local authorities to make better use of their land and property and deliver tangible benefits to their communities.

“I am delighted that this new funding round will enable even more councils to deliver the homes, jobs and services that local people need.”