Housing minister Grant Shapps this month announced details of the New Homes Bonus – the proposed government incentive to encourage local authorities to build new homes. <br> <br> Nearly £1 billion will be set aside for the bonus in the next four years, £196 million of which will be for this year (2011-2012). The government will match the council tax raised from new homes for the first six years, which - it says - works out at more than £9,000 for each Band D home over the full period. The bonus for affordable housing will be 36% higher, so averaging almost £11,000 for a Band D affordable home. <br> <br> The government calculates 326 local authorities will receive a share of the £196 million for increasing the housing stock by 150,000 homes this year. <br> <br> “We need to get the country building again,” said Shapps of the New Homes Bonus. “But not through a Whitehall knows best arrogance. To kick start a housebuilding revolution, development needs to be backed by local communities rather than opposed by them.”<br> <br> Barratt ceo Mark Clare said the announcement was an important step forward. “We are already talking to local authorities about what …