Building Homes. Rebuilding Lives. Strengthening Communities.

Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dan Price, has launched a ground breaking partnership with the award‑winning Prisoners Building Homes (PBH) programme – marking a major step toward tackling two urgent national challenges: the shortage of affordable housing and high reoffending rates.

This innovative model positions Cheshire at the forefront of national reform, aiming to deliver new affordable, low‑carbon homes while creating meaningful employment opportunities for people ready to rebuild their lives.

A dual solution to national pressures

Across the UK, the shortage of social housing costs local councils nearly £3 billion each year in temporary accommodation. At the same time, reoffending costs the public around £20 billion annually. Many people on probation are motivated, job‑ready, and eager for stability, yet face significant barriers to long‑term employment—one of the strongest protective factors against returning to crime.

Cheshire alone has approximately 3,000 people under probation supervision, representing a sizeable, untapped, and willing workforce.

The construction sector, meanwhile, is under increasing strain as labour shortages grow, with a national target of 1.5 million new homes requiring a rapid increase in reliable talent. The PBH programme brings these challenges together in a way that benefits employers, communities, and participants alike.

Introducing the PBH Cheshire model

At a recent workshop hosted at the historic Lion Salt Works in Northwich, home builders, local authorities, probation leaders, and landowners came together to explore what the PBH programme could deliver for Cheshire. There, PCC Dan Price set clear ambitions:

• Sites identified within 4 weeks
• The first homes built and families moved in within 12 months

Cheshire is pioneering a UK first by expanding the PBH model to include not only people leaving prison, but also those on probation serving community orders—individuals who are already living locally, motivated to work, and able to contribute immediately.

How the programme works

PBH connects housebuilders, prisons, probation services, and landowners to create high‑quality, sustainable homes while providing structured employment and training to participants.

The programme offers:

• Paid employment from day one
• Accredited construction training
• A recognised pathway into long‑term work
• A meaningful intervention proven to reduce reoffending

Participants gain real‑world experience, confidence, and stability—while local communities benefit from new, affordable, low‑carbon homes.

The initiative also strengthens PCC Dan Price’s wider efforts to support people with past convictions through his Fresh Start employment programme.

A vision for the future

The PBH Cheshire programme is more than a construction initiative – it’s a community investment model that:

• Builds homes
• Creates opportunities
• Reduces reoffending
• Strengthens the local workforce
• Supports safer, more resilient neighbourhoods

With the first families planned to move into new homes within a year, Cheshire is leading a bold, practical, and compassionate approach to a national challenge. Proving that with the right support, people can change course, communities can thrive, and everyone benefits.