THE Government's New Homes Bonus has the potential to cause revolt in those parishes hit with significant development, as councils tussle to claim match funding.

Introduced last April, at a time when housing demand is outstripping supply, the New Homes Bonus is seen as an incentive for local authorities to build new homes and return empty residential properties to effective use.

The scheme commits the Government to match funding council tax raised on those properties for six years, with an additional amount for affordable homes.

The bonus is to be split 80 per cent to district authorities and 20 per cent to the counties – in this case East Hampshire District Council and Hampshire County Council.

For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.