Huge sums of money set aside to ease the UK's housing crisis has not yet been spent.

More than £375m is sitting in councils' bank accounts, the Huffington Post reports.

HuffPost UK obtained data which shows the money is being held by councils across the UK, but with the majority - £235m - being held by just 14 councils.

Southwark (Labour) is holding £52.6m, while Camden (also Labour) is holding on to £37.6m.

Kensington and Chelsea (Conservative) has £21m in the bank. It has faced ongoing criticism because two-thirds of the families affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy have not yet been found new homes.

Elmbridge in Surrey, the constituency of the Housing Minster Dominic Raab, is holding £8m.

Much of the cash (£140m) has in fact been set aside for specific projects, but remains unspent. Almost £100m has not yet been earmarked for any projects at all.

The National Housing Federation said the data was "deeply concerning".

These pots of money come under specific Section 106 Agreements. Councils receive payments from developers in exchange for giving the go-ahead for housing schemes.

The cash must be spent on certain projects, including affordable housing, road maintenance and even public art projects.

In reaction to the news, Housing Secretary Sajid Javid MP said: “Section 106 payments help deliver the vital infrastructure required for councils to build the homes that this country needs.

“We expect councils to use funding from developers in line with the priorities agreed in their local plans.”

Last year a survey for the Town and Country Planning Association revealed that 98% of councils labelled their need for affordable housing as "severe" or "moderate".

 

The top 14 councils holding cash for affordable housing are:
  • London Borough of Southwark: £52.6million (all committed)
  • London Borough of Camden (since 1999): £37.6million (£5million uncommitted)
  • Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea: £21.4million (all uncommitted)
  • Wokingham Council: £20million (£11million uncommitted)
  • London Borough of Wandsworth: £20million (all committed)
  • London Borough of Hounslow: £16.9million (all uncommitted)
  • London Borough of Lewisham: £16.3million (£6million uncommitted)
  • London Borough of Newham: £12.4million (all uncommitted)
  • London Borough of Hackney: £9.6million (£3.6million uncommitted)
  • Elmbridge District Council: £8million (£1.7million uncommitted)
  • Horsham District Council: £6.9million (£5.7million uncommitted)
  • London Borough of Greenwich: £5.1million (all uncommitted)
  • Middlesbrough Borough Council: £4.5million (£3.4million uncommitted)
  • South Ribble Borough Council: £3.9million (£3.5million uncommitted)