£9.5m of 'community cash' unspent in Buckinghamshire

Councils in Buckinghamshire have held on to millions of pounds earmarked for social and community projects.

Wycombe, South Bucks and Chiltern district councils have failed to spend £9.5m given to them by developers.

The money is from Section 106 (S106) agreements which are negotiated between developers and councils when new homes are built.

Wycombe's cabinet member for housing, Julia Langley, said the authority is working on plans to spend the money.

Money from S106 agreements can be used to help fund affordable housing, roads, parks, schools and youth services.

In 2014, it was revealed councils in England were holding on to £1.5bn of unspent S106 money.

A freedom of information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed Wycombe District Council has accrued £3.5m of S106 money.

Chiltern District Council has £1.6m, while South Bucks District Council has £4.4m - but a spokeswoman said some of this has been allocated.

Wycombe district Labour councillor Khalil Ahmed said it was "disgraceful" the money had not been spent.

"It is unacceptable that the council's cabinet for housing and the leader of the council have not allocated this desperately-needed money," he said.

"Wycombe District Council has the potential to improve lives in the communities that councillors have been elected to represent."

Conservative councillor and cabinet member for housing at Wycombe District Council, Julia Langley, said the authority has been "working with registered housing providers on plans to spend a significant proportion" of the money.

A spokeswoman for Chiltern and South Bucks district councils said S106 money had been used to deliver more than 100 affordable homes since 2011.

She said the "vast majority" of South Bucks' funds had already been allocated, while the "small amount of money that remains unallocated will be put towards future projects".

She said all of Chiltern's S106 money had been allocated.