Hundreds of houses to be built across West Midlands over next year due to new powers and funding
Hundreds of new homes are to be built across the West Midlands in the next year as a result of new powers and funding handed over by Government.
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Families will benefit from more than 1,700 new properties which are expected to be funded by the region’s £389m Integrated Settlement, which was secured from Whitehall by Mayor Richard Parker, last month (April).
The Settlement, which includes nearly £63m for housing and regeneration, will help bolster the Mayor’s commitment to drive the delivery of more homes, with a particular focus on affordable and social housing.
Figures show 7,148 households, including 14,229 children, live in temporary accommodation and 65,335 households on the region’s housing waiting lists.
Mr Parker named social housing as one of his key priorities and in his first 12 months, he has used funding to provide more than 500 new social homes.
The figure of 1,770 homes, which will include a significant number of affordable and social housing, has been set out in the Integrated Settlement Outcomes Framework which shows the impact of the new funding on the regional economy and people’s standard of living.
Mr Parker said: “The Government is backing our region by putting funds and powers into the hands of local leaders and we will use this money to provide more homes for those communities that need them most.
“Everyone deserves a warm, safe and affordable home but too many families are having to wait too long, forced to live in expensive and often poor quality rented or temporary accommodation.
“I’m committed to changing lives for the better which is why, in my first year in office I’ve unlocked more social housing at a faster pace than ever before.
“This is all part of my mission to deliver growth, jobs, homes and journeys for everyone.”
The Mayor has set a target of 2,000 new social homes a year by 2028 to help tackle the housing crisis, while also training local people in construction skills so they can get jobs building those homes.
Bosses say the region’s first ever Integrated Settlement will cut bureaucracy and give the Mayor and local leaders greater control, choice and power to focus the money on regional priorities.
As part of the ongoing devolution of powers and funding to the West Midlands, the region expects future Integrated Settlements to span multiple years and to see additional funding – for skills, employment support, business growth and to tackle climate change – brought under regional control.
Mr Parker will travel to Leeds next week to join other West Midlands leaders and councils to showcase more than £19 billion worth of investment opportunities at the UKREiiF property show.
Key projects to be presented to investors and developers include the Sports Quarter regeneration scheme in East Birmingham and the region’s three Investment Zone sites – the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, Coventry & Warwick Gigapark and the Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor.
