North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) has received £1.336m from the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF).

The fund is a government scheme that gives councils grants to buy or build properties for people who would otherwise end up in unsuitable or expensive private temporary accommodation, such as B&Bs or nightly-let rooms.

The cabinet has now agreed to accept the grant and plans to purchase nine homes across the district, with all acquisitions and any necessary repairs to be completed by April 2027.

It is the fourth successive round of LAHF funding the Liberal-Democrat council has secured, building on purchases dating back to November 2022.

The LAHF grant will part-fund the acquisitions, with the council providing match funding and the staffing resources needed to complete purchases and carry out repairs.

Jill Boyle, cabinet member for housing at NNDC (Image: Jill Boyle)

Jill Boyle, cabinet member for housing, said: "Every house matters, and this does actually make a difference."

It comes as North Norfolk - like many councils across the county - continues to battle spiralling temporary accommodation costs.

The council spent £197,000 on homeless accommodation between 2019/20. By 2023 this number had surged to £860,000.

The council has also ringfenced money from a controversial second homes tax to invest in accommodation, which is estimated to have brought in around £1.6m during the 2025/26 financial year.

© Eastern Daily Press