Wigan Council’s Supporting People programme has “promising” prospects for improvement, according to an independent report by the Audit Commission.
The £7.6 million initiative provides housing-related support to vulnerable people to enable them to live independently in a stable environment and is part of a long-term government public sector policy.
In the Audit Commission report, Wigan Council’s Supporting [...]

The South East England Development Agency (Seeda) has welcomed the provision of the new government green paper on housing, claiming that it “offers strong practical direction to local authorities and their partners” in the region.
According to Seeda, the new green paper brings together all the growth points for housing in the UK from Communities and [...]

Shelter has declared that the government’s housing policy is a “significant step forward” in attempts to tackle Britain’s growing housing crisis.
Commenting on a new green paper, which outlines how government housing targets will be met, Shelter chief executive Adam Sampson said: “Low-cost home ownership will help many hard-working people get a foothold on the housing [...]

Proposed changes to public service agreements (PSAs) will help to dissolve barriers between different professions in the not-for-profit sector, it was claimed yesterday.
Speaking on the subject of the government’s relationship with public services delivery, chief secretary to the Treasury Andy Burnham MP suggested that “radical changes” were to be made in the new set of [...]

The government has launched a review of processes across the nation for regeneration strategies, in a move intended to support the economic development of the poorest regions.
It is suggested that ensuring the least prosperous six regions are brought in line with the rest of the UK could contribute up to £60 billion to the national [...]

The redesign of local government suggested in a government statement, the Sub National Review of Economic Development, takes on board a number of principles set out by the New Local Government Network (NLGN), the think-tank has asserted.
NLGN director Chris Leslie welcomed the government proposals in the review, which he said granted local government partnerships significant [...]

New research investigating ways that housing organisations can help disabled people looking to pursue a career in the sector is being undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).
It is the second phase of research into the subject carried out by the institute and follows data suggesting that significant interest has been expressed in an [...]

Gordon Brown has pledged that he will address the UK’s growing housing crisis as a top priority during his term of office.
Preparing to outline his first legislative programme, the new prime minister has insisted that housing in the future will be more affordable, with more unused public and brownfield land freed up for development and [...]

A slowing in the pace of growth in the construction sector was not felt in the public housing market, according to new figures from one industry body.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has observed that, while the construction sector across the UK remains strong and above its survey’s long-run average, there was a general [...]

Housing minister Yvette Cooper is set to announce a green paper promoting the return of council house building by local authorities, it has emerged.
The Independent has reported that Ms Cooper has discussed the move with ministerial colleagues, stressing that rather than returning to the estates of previous decades, councils will be able to commission more [...]