The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have announced that Conservative controlled Leicestershire County Council been successful in the first phase of a funding bid to the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF).

The £4.1bn fund is being made available to develop infrastructure which will unlock new housing and the announcement means that Leicestershire’s expressions of interest on two schemes will progress through to the next stage for consideration.

North West Leicestershire County Councillor Nick Rushton, Leader of the County Council, said "Leicestershire is growing, so it is vitally important that we bid for money to put the right infrastructure in place.

"That’s why we are delighted by this announcement which is a key milestone in working with the Government and partners to develop schemes which help to create much-needed new homes.

"Opportunities such as the Housing Infrastructure Fund enable local authorities, such as Leicestershire, to prepare for growth rather than reacting speculatively.

"The Leicester and Leicestershire draft Strategic Growth Plan identifies a housing need of 118,000 homes by 2036, and we now look forward to working collaboratively with the Government to develop our business cases covering south-west Leicestershire and south of Melton."