Lewisham Council has given different figures for how nearly £30 million raised from developers is being allocated – causing confusion over a hefty sum of almost £10m.

The money is funds the council has received from Section 106 agreements – a planning law which allows councils to get money from developers in exchange for granting planning permission.

The money must be spent on specific projects, such as affordable housing, and cannot go towards the council’s general budget.

According to figures given in response to a Freedom of Information request, Lewisham has raised nearly £30 million in the last five years from the levy on developers.

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Of this, only £3 million, or 10 per cent, has been spent, with nearly £9 million, or 30 per cent, earmarked for projects.

But a Lewisham Council spokesperson said there was a further £9.6 million not included in the figures, which has been allocated to fund affordable housing in the Lewisham Gateway development.

He said this money was allocated after the FOI request was answered on March 7.

However the £9.6 million was rubber-stamped by the mayor and cabinet in February 14 last year.

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He said: “Our latest figures show that some 61 per cent of the total funding from the last five years  – over  £18.5 million – has now been allocated.

"We are working on a number of strategic projects that will include S106 funding, and we will be allocating this in the near future. This includes over £8 million currently unallocated that will be spent on affordable housing for those who desperately need it.”

The spokesperson also said this left the amount of unallocated Section 106 money at £11.3m.

The spokesperson would not clarify the discrepancies in the figures or why the £9.6 million figure was not included in the Freedom of Information request.

Neighbouring Lambeth Council has raised £63.4 million in the last five years, but has spent 43.5 per cent of the funding.

Research undertaken by HuffPost UK last year saw Lewisham Council with the seventh highest amount of unspent Section 106 money in England and Wales.