Delivering in local government: How Labour is building a better Britain everywhere

Labour Councils up and down the country are helping to improve the lives of their residents.

Week in, week out, Labour councils, working in partnership with the NHS, Homes England and the Labour Government, are getting things done for their local communities on the things that matter to local people.

Every week, LabourList brings you a selection of the great work being done by Labour Councils and Labour Mayors.

Please send news from your council to Paul Dimoldenberg at [email protected].

Nottingham: New Waterside and Basin Bridges open in Nottingham 

Nottingham has two new bridges – Waterside Bridge spanning 87 metres over the Trent and Basin Bridge spanning 26 metres – which were opened by Claire Ward,  the Labour Mayor of the East Midlands, on 2 June.

Made possible thanks to funding received from the Department for Transport as part of the Transforming Cities programme, the new walking and cycling bridge was also built locally. Fabricated using British steel at Britons Ltd, eight miles away in Hucknall, the new bridge provides walkers and cyclists with a more appealing and accessible route across the river, linking up neighbourhoods, supporting regeneration and providing much improved access to sports facilities and green spaces while encouraging healthier, more sustainable ways to get around. 

Trafford: New Stretford primary school comes forward

Barton Clough Primary School is to be reconstructed next to its current location on Audley Avenue, Stretford, as part of the government’s drive to improve the country’s education.

The single-storey school will feature a double-height assembly space, an improved multi-use games area, and a dedicated forest school zone. The school will also be net-zero in operation. The construction of the new facility would be phased to ensure the existing school remains operational throughout.

Greenwich: New CCTV cameras in Eltham and Woolwich to improve safety

As part of a £4.4 million investment to make the borough safer day and night, Labour Greenwich Council has installed new CCTV cameras in Eltham High Street and Woolwich Dockyard. Community Safety Enforcement Officers will be able to live stream the camera footage to their phones, meaning their response time will be quicker to any reports of crime in the area.

There are plans to install eight more cameras across the borough in Milne Estate, Rockmount Estate, Wickham Lane, Melling Street, Barth Road, Arnott Close and Armstrong Estate. This investment comes from ring-fenced grants and the council’s negotiations with developers to secure £60 million that it can use to focus on the things that really matter to residents. 

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Crawley: Crawley Council acquires Shaw House to provide 26 new homes for residents

Labour Crawley Borough Council has completed the acquisition of Shaw House as part of its ongoing work to address growing housing pressures and support residents in need of temporary accommodation. Once refurbished, Shaw House will provide 26 high‑quality, self‑contained homes and will reduce the need for out‑of‑borough placements and help residents remain close to local services, schools, employment opportunities and support networks. The scheme will also support quicker move‑on into permanent housing.

The council has purchased Shaw House with assistance from a government grant of £2.2 million and will directly procure the refurbishment works, ensuring full control over quality, compliance and delivery timescales. The council expects to deliver annual savings of approximately £480,000 through a reduction in the use of nightly paid accommodation. The building is expected to be ready for initial occupation by late summer.

Rhondda: New energy-efficient homes set to welcome tenants in Porth

Tenants are set to move into ten new high-quality, energy-efficient homes at Clos y Ffatri in Porth, as Labour Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council continues to deliver on its commitment to increasing affordable housing. The development has transformed the former “Button Factory” site on Catherine Crescent into a modern, sustainable residential community.

The site has a rich industrial heritage, once producing board game pieces, dice, and wooden crates for Corona bottles, and now begins a new chapter, providing homes for people on the Council’s housing waiting list. The development will deliver ten new homes, including four one-bedroom flats and six two-bedroom houses. Built adjacent to previously developed homes, the site expands an established neighbourhood in a well-connected area of Porth.

All properties have been built to achieve an EPC A rating, helping residents reduce their energy costs. Sustainability has been a key consideration throughout the development, with garden systems designed to manage surface water and reduce flood risk.

Rotherham: Work starts on 120 affordable homes on former bus depot site in Rotherham

Great Places Housing Group and Keepmoat have started work on site for 120 new affordable homes at Midland Road, in Rotherham, formerly used as a bus depot. All 120 homes will be available for social rent, offering long-term affordable housing for local people, including four one-bedroom homes, 35 two-bedroom homes, 65 three-bedroom homes and 16 four-bedroom homes.

Having secured planning permission in December 2025, Keepmoat is also delivering the construction, with funding support from Homes England’s Strategic Partnership. The first homes are expected to be handed over in spring 2027.

Cumbria: Workington sports village scores planning permission

Plans for Cumberland Sports Village have been given the go-ahead. Supported by the Government Town Deal, Labour Cumberland Council and the Football Foundation, the £17.8 million Cumberland Sports Village project will deliver a modern home for Workington’s football and rugby league clubs. It will also be a focal point for the community and businesses in the area and follows the announcement that an additional £4.5m of funding has been secured from the Cumbria Combined Authority. The additional funding will result in the scheme being extended to include the replacement of all the terraces and increase the total capacity at the new stadium to 5,000.

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