Homes England partners with Greater Manchester to boost housing delivery
An experimental Strategic Place Partnership has been agreed upon between Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority. If successful, the partnership will serve as a model for work between Whitehall’s housing agency and local authorities.
As part of the SSP, Homes England and GMCA will have a shared business plan that focuses on delivering town centre regeneration, affordable housing and growth locations.
The two groups will work together and with private and public sector partners to ensure the pipelines for these projects progress.
“This partnership will give a major boost to the work we’re already doing across Greater Manchester to address the national housing crisis,” said Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
Burnham said the combined authority is seeking to build 30,000 affordable, net zero carbon homes by 2038. In order for GMCA to achieve this, he said that brownfield land needs to be unlocked and development must support “sustainable growth throughout the city region”.
“With the expertise, capacity, and funding tools at their disposal, and working alongside the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and local council teams, Homes England has a vital role to play in this collective effort,” Burnham said.
Homes England chief executive Peter Denton said: “This new model of partnership is our way of responding to the most ambitious places where there is significant opportunity and a need to partner more closely,” said Peter Denton, chief executive of Homes England.
“Greater Manchester is a mature, well-established partner, with huge ambition and the ability to deliver. Together, we can pool our resources to support place-based growth and regeneration, including the supply of well-designed new homes.”
Homes England has agreed a similar programme with the Association of South Essex Local Authorities.
So why does an area already doing well need more funding and partnership working from central government , it`s been the story for decades now with both Labour and Tory, the rest get left behind but this government sees it`s levelling up box being ticked.
By Anonymous
Anon – because they’ve delivered. If you read the article, this is a trial for what could be rolled out elsewhere. That’s how devolution has been implemented across England; it works.
By Works
Anon – Homes England have Government targets to meet so they have partnerships with people they can trust to deliver. GM has a track record of delivering major projects it’s for other regions to get their act together.
By Monty
Disagree. It’s easy to “deliver” when you’re given every leg up going.
If Manchester is now such a mature partner and able to deliver, then let it do that.
And start redirecting intensive support and pump priming elsewhere.
By Jeff
Jeff – if other regions got their act together they might be able to apply for funding as well. Don’t bark at Manchester for having it together – bemoan other councils who seemingly can’t be bothered.
By Anonymous
” A well established partner with huge ambition”, says it all really, do they not think that Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newcastle haven`t got ambitions too, it`s like Lottery grants when the same old, high profile bidders get the money because they have the knack of knowing how to apply, and somehow get their bids on the top of the pile.
By Anonymous
Blaming areas for becoming riddled with inaction and corruption as a direct result of being abandoned politically and economically, and using that as an excuse to (not)deliver more of the same is not only offensive, but a recipe for disaster.
Should Liverpool fall fully under non-democratic influence – which is still entirely possible – I assure you that Manchester’s businesses will be just as vulnerable as ours.
Wise up.
By Jeff
I think you’re confusing cause and effect Jeff. The effect of not being trusted to deliver projects effectively is a direct consequence of the dysfunction within Liverpool City Council and it’s partner agencies; not the other way round. Warrington, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield etc do not have the same problems.
By Anonymous
Some posters here are pointing the finger at Liverpool City Council but this government agency is working with the GMCA and not the city council, so they could just as easily partner with the Liverpool City Region and deal with Steve Rotheram who seems a sensible person to do business with.
By Anonymous