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. 

This week, we feature:

• A new business hub in Rotherham
• A new public space in Rhondda
• Flood defence work in Sefton
• Nottingham’s district heating improvements
• A new hospital in Crewe
• Redundant phone boxes removed in Camden
• University spin-out business support in the North East

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

Rotherham: Former steelworks to become business growth hub

Labour Rotherham Council and its private sector partner, Magna, have appointed HBC Construction to deliver its £6m Templeborough Business Zone development next to the Magna Science Adventure Centre. The project will turn the former steelworks area into a new hub for business growth and community activity. Work began on the scheme in early June and will create eight flexible business units totalling almost 10,000 sq ft within the business zone, including six commercial workspaces and two food-and-beverage units.

Complementing these workspaces, landscaped public spaces, outdoor seating, improved pedestrian access and parking provision will establish an accessible environment for businesses, visitors and the wider community. The development is designed to support small and medium-sized businesses and is backed by government funding through the ‘Town Deal’ initiative. Completion is scheduled for  Spring 2027.

Rhondda: New public space opens in Pontypridd 

A new public space has opened in Pontypridd, replacing a former M&S that might otherwise have fallen into disrepair. It has created a vibrant, central space that can be used to support town centre events. Also included are areas of seating and greenery, while the town has been opened towards the river for the first time in over 100 years.

The project is part of Labour Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Pontypridd Placemaking Plan, which is bringing forward regeneration across the town, including upgraded flood alleviation improvements. More than £5.6m of external funding was previously secured to bring forward the project, with contributions from Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Programme (£3.68m) and UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (£1.95m).

This project, combined with the public realm scheme at the former bingo hall site, has made a huge difference to ensure this area of town feels lighter and brighter – while creating a modern new space that everyone is welcome to enjoy, and exposing fantastic views that look over both the river and the park.

Sefton: Flood defence works in Hightown

Emergency coastal protection works have been undertaken at Hightown beach as efforts are made to protect the beach and dunes from erosion. The works will help slow down the erosion of the dunes, which are the primary flood defence for Hightown. The dunes and the beach in Hightown saw significant erosion following Storm Dave this April on the north side of a United Utilities outflow. As a result, the dune ridge is much narrower, and the beach level is much smaller. This increases the risk of a dune breach which can cause flooding to homes. The nearest houses to the beach are only 80m from the dunes and at most risk.

Labour’s Sefton Council has installed a ‘rock armour’ on the north side of the United Utilities outflow, similar to the rocks on the south side of the outflow. This will help limit further erosion of the dunes. The irock armour will be installed using the rocks already available from the access road to the Blundellsands Sailing Club. Further works are anticipated to take place in September to restore beach levels. This is anticipated to be completed by the end of November, depending on weather conditions. This will take sand that has eroded down the River Alt and use it to restore beach levels as part of Sefton’s flood defences.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events.

Nottingham: New funding to support Nottingham’s district heating network

Labour Nottingham City Council has secured Government funding to help inform the next phase of development for its district heating network and will support two detailed feasibility studies across key parts of the network. This latest funding will support studies in:

• Manvers Court – a 14-storey block of flats selected as a representative model for two other identical buildings on the same estate. The findings are expected to help improve performance across around 270 council flats.  
• St Ann’s – a section of network serving 647 households, chosen to represent a wider system with similar design. The results could be applied more broadly, with the potential to benefit the wider network of around 5,000 households.

Together, the projects directly cover 737 households, while the wider learning has the potential to deliver improvements across much larger parts of Nottingham’s heat network.

Crewe: Leighton Hospital replacement plans get go-ahead

Plans for the £1.3bn redevelopment of Leighton Hospital in Crewe have been given the go-ahead by Labour Cheshire East Council. Part of the government’s New Hospitals Programme, proposals for the replacement of the ageing Leighton Hospital estate were lodged in December last year after the project was expedited due to the presence of RAAC.

The proposal is centred on a new-build six-storey hospital building and supporting buildings, mostly to be delivered adjacent to the existing estate. Also included are the redevelopment and extension of the existing emergency department, audiology and ENT unit, satellite outpatients and Ward 27/28 buildings to enable continued use.

Camden: Camden calls the end to redundant phone boxes

  Labour Camden Council has successfully used its planning enforcement powers to require BT to remove six redundant phone boxes in the Camden Town area. The Council served breach of condition notices requiring their removal in March this year. This follows the successful removal of 19 phone boxes on Tottenham Court Road in 2023.

With the growth in mobile phone ownership, use of public telephone boxes has declined. Seldom used, many are now largely redundant with low call numbers and in a poor condition which often attracts vandalism and anti-social behaviour. Under Condition A.2 (2) of Part 24 Class A of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended), telecommunications apparatus must be removed as soon as reasonably practicable once it is no longer required for telecommunications purposes. The notices served by the Council require BT to remove the public call boxes and repair the pavement.

North East: Universities join with North East mayor to launch £22.5m fund for spin-outs

The North East’s five universities are joining forces with the region’s Labour Mayor, Kim McGuinness, to launch a £22.5m fund, with the aim of transforming academic research into new high-growth businesses. The North East Spinout Inspire Fund is supported by £10m investment from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and a total of £12.5m from Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, and Teesside universities. 

The Inspire Fund will particularly support early-stage spin-out businesses, where risk is higher and funding is often harder to secure from private sector investors alone. In its first five years, the Fund will support at least 30 spin-out firms. 

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].