POLICE officers, teachers and nurses in East Hampshire could be given a special deal on homes if the district wins bids of more than £600,000 for government funding.

East Hampshire district councillors were told last week that the government has made funding of more than £250 million available over the next three years to a starter homes initiative and housing associations in East Hampshire have applied for £618,000.

Hampshire County Council has submitted a bid to the government for a grant of £2.25m over three years to help more than 400 teachers across the county.

The starter homes initiative is aimed at providing shared ownership homes for "key workers" who are teachers, nurses and police officers.

Housing services manager Julia Potter said East Hampshire District Council had supported a number of bids to the government for funding.

They included a bid by Hampshire Voluntary Housing Association for £118,809 this year to provide four one-bedroom flats for police officers at Lyndum House in Petersfield High Street.

She said the council had already provided grant funding for an additional four one-bedroom flats for rent on the site. Building was already under way, with completion forecast later in the year.

"Without funding from the starter homes initiative the four flats will be let at market rents," said Ms Potter.

A bid has also been made by Kingfisher Housing Association for £250,000 to provide ten flats for teachers on the Alton College site next year and a further £250,000 for another ten flats the following year.

Ms Potter said: "This site received outline planning approval for 46 units earlier in the year and Kingfisher now owns the site. The council has provided grant funding for 20 of the units to be at affordable rent."

Hampshire County Council is asking for £2,248,000 over three years to provide housing for 90 teachers this year and 180 next year.

All the bids made it through the first stage of the bidding process. But a decision on the schemes has been delayed because of the general election.

Ms Potter told The Herald that the government's initiative was clearly a way of injecting resources into the district for housing, but there were other key workers the district council may need to consider who were not eligible under it,for example, care workers.

EHDC's housing strategy reports: "There are some key workers for whom even shared ownership is not an option because of their low incomes and high house prices locally.

"The council does not have a formal policy for key workers and this will need to be addressed during the life of the strategy, which is from 2002 to 2004."