Scrapped £100k homes scheme 'not a criminal matter'

A report into a scrapped £100m scheme that was designed to provide affordable housing for residents in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was reviewed by police, it has been revealed.

The report to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee was critical of the project, saying it was not run "transparently and processes were not followed correctly".

Police reviewed the report into the scheme, which was run under the leadership of former Conservative Mayor James Palmer, but concluded is was "not a criminal matter".

Mr Palmer declined to comment when approached by the BBC.

When the combined authority was created in 2017, it was allocated £100m to contribute to affordable housing schemes.

It pledged to offer homes with a sale price of £100,000 for local residents.

However, it was criticised by government ministers in 2019 for not making enough progress.

It was ultimately abolished in 2023.

Some of the £100m was used to fund loan agreements to developers, with the CPCA expected to take a share of any profits.

When the report was presented earlier this week, Labour Mayor Nik Johnson criticised the administration he inherited in 2021.

He said it was "chaotic, dysfunctional, and – despite their protests to the contrary – in desperate need of wholesale rehabilitation".

Cambridgeshire Police said Chief Constable Nick Dean met with the current mayor to discuss the report, but no further action was taken.

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