Upcoming Events :
Housing Seminar: Partnerships with the Public Sector – Avoiding the pitfalls
Thu 31 May 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Leeds City Region given new housing powers
Mon 30 Nov 2009
Leeds City Region has been given devolved powers allowing it to take control of regeneration, housing and transport projects.
The agreement means that local officials will have greater responsibility for funding decisions and delivery of major social housing and regeneration schemes.
Under what Communities and Local Government described as London-style powers, Leeds City Region will set up a Housing and Regeneration Board to take decisions about how funding is best spent in the local area.
It is hoped the new body will oversee the construction of 28,000 eco-friendly homes and the refurbishment of 300,000 existing properties.
Local officials will also be given control of initiatives to improve employment opportunities and skills levels among the workforce.
The move is part of a pilot which will allow central government to test whether the city-region model, which involves groups of local authorities working together, can successfully deliver housing and economic objectives.
Roger Fitton, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood commented: "Pooling powers to deliver regeneration can be extremely effective provided the relevant Agency is given the power to deliver and is not just an additional layer of the State whose functions overlap with others."
News of the pilot comes after the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced details of a trial that will see councils in Croydon, Hackney and Westminster given more control over housing investment.
