For the people of Ilford, the former Harrison Gibson department store has long been a familiar landmark in the town centre. Now the site is changing into something the community has been waiting for: 326 homes for social rent, intended for local residents. Work has begun following the release of the first tranche of grant funding from the Labour Mayor of London, which has allowed demolition and construction to get underway. MP Living is delivering the scheme in partnership with the Mayor and the London Borough of Redbridge, and will retain ownership and management of the completed homes. Redbridge Council will hold nomination rights, a mechanism designed to ensure the homes meet local housing need. Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, said: “Ilford is a thriving and growing town centre, and this development will strengthen that momentum, bringing new homes, renewed confidence, and a major boost to the area’s ongoing regeneration.”
Across the country, Labour councils are working week in, week out with partners including the NHS, Homes England and the Labour Government on projects that touch daily life: the buses people catch, the roads they drive on, the homes they hope to secure. LabourList rounds up a selection of this work each week, and this week’s list spans Swansea, Heckmondwike, Sunderland, Brighton & Hove, Salford, Leicester and Redbridge.
In Swansea, a piece of the city’s history is being carefully returned to its residents. The Morfa Bascule Bridge, built in 1909 and designated as a Scheduled Monument, is entering the final phase of its restoration. Labour Swansea Council has appointed South Wales-based contractor Ian Davies Plant to complete the work, with construction expected to begin soon. Earlier phases saw the steel bascule span removed from the river and conserved, alongside essential stabilisation works on the timbers that stand in the river. The final phase will include repairs to timber trestles, the replacement of some bridge elements, and the lifting of the historic span back into place using a specialist crane operation. Once complete, the bridge will return to use as a public footpath and cycle track, improving access and connectivity along the river corridor for the people who live and walk there.
Getting around is also getting easier in Heckmondwike, where a new bus station has opened as the first in West Yorkshire’s Weaver Network. The modern facility includes indoor seating, new bus stands, a ‘Changing Places’ toilet, detailed bus information, cycle parking and improvements outside the building. Work is also underway at two other Weaver Network stations in Kirklees: a major refurbishment has started at Huddersfield Bus Station, and Dewsbury Bus Station is due to reopen later this year. West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin said: “With new electric buses on the way, new and improved bus stations and buses coming under public control, we’re creating a better-connected West Yorkshire that works for all.”
In Sunderland, plans for world-class film and television production facilities have moved forward, with the first phase of Crown Works Studios securing planning approval. The development will feature three sound stages, production accommodation, backlot space and parking, alongside the refurbishment of the historic WH Foster Printworks building. Studio One is the first phase of the 31-hectare Crown Works site, being developed as a catalyst for further employment-led investment across Riverside Sunderland. More than £38 million is being invested by Labour’s North East mayor Kim McGuinness, with overall public-sector investment in land assembly, remediation and Studio One set to reach just over £60 million. The scheme sits within the Crown Works Growth Zone and the wider Riverside Sunderland Creative Mayoral Development Zone, which stretches from Northern Spire bridge to the coast.
For renters and people in housing need in Brighton & Hove, a new scheme aims to tackle two pressures at once. Labour’s Brighton & Hove Council has launched the Energy Performance Grant Scheme for Landlords, which offers grants of up to £7,500 to eligible landlords who commit to bringing their property up to a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of C and entering a three-year lease with the council for temporary accommodation. Grant funding is released as soon as the lease is signed, but if the lease ends before the three-year term, the money is repayable to the council. Landlords can receive funding for up to three properties.
Roads in Salford are set for attention too. Labour Salford City Council has secured an extra £1.4 million in Government funding from the Department for Transport’s Local Highway Maintenance Fund to repair almost 300 more roads across the city. This complements the £4.3 million budgeted through the Highways Investment Programme and the £855,000 Pothole Action Fund money approved in February. Roads will be repaired in priority order, with those showing more signs of ageing and damage fixed before problems become more severe. Within the £1.4 million, £20,000 will be available per ward so local councillors can nominate potential schemes, a completely new arrangement that allows smaller local concerns within communities to be prioritised. Nominated sites will still face the same engineering, condition and value-for-money assessments as other locations in the programme.
Leicester city centre is set for a £4 million package of improvements designed to make it more welcoming for residents, businesses and visitors. The plans include better lighting and signage at key arrival points, measures to tackle antisocial behaviour, improvements to public spaces, support for vacant shops, investment in events infrastructure and upgrades in the Market Place and Lanes area. People can expect cleaner streets, better-lit public spaces, improved areas around transport hubs and car parks, and more support for events and activities. Labour Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “We have made significant investment into the city centre in recent years, and this funding will allow us to do even more to make it an attractive and welcoming destination.”
Together, these projects show councils working on the everyday details that shape people’s lives, from the bridge they cross to the home they move into. Readers with news from their own council can send it to Paul Dimoldenberg at [email protected].