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:

• Over 200 new Council homes in Brighton
• New community hub in Huyton
• New affordable homes in Nottingham
• New Council housing in Cardiff
• £2.2m fund to support North East’s grassroots venues
• New flood alleviation scheme in Rotherham
• Greenwich school students learn construction skills 

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

Brighton: Over 200 new council homes in Moulsecoomb

More than 200 new council-rented homes and a community hub are being built in Moulsecoomb by Labour-run Brighton & Hove City Council. The scheme is made up of eight blocks with a mix of flat types within each block, and 4 pairs of 4-bedroom semi-detached townhouses to respond to different resident needs and form a well-balanced community. Three new streets will be called Flintfield Drive, Thorncroft Close and Chalkvale Mews following a resident poll – names inspired by the local history, topography and geology of the area.

Fifteen new homes will be fully wheelchair accessible, with 20 homes provided as ‘Mobility 2’ units, for residents who do not need fully adapted accommodation, but require some assistance. The community hub will provide a range of services and facilities, including a GP surgery, pharmacy, library, youth centre, adult learning and a community café. The development will also include a skate park and a 7-a-side 3G football pitch located on a nearby greenfield site.

To date, 11 work experience placements have been delivered and 43 local roles have been created through the development. The contractor, Wates, has also been working with local organisations to support initiatives that benefit the wider Moulsecoomb community. The design of the project was shaped by residents’ views following a series of ‘planning for real’ sessions, where more than 200 residents said what they’d like to see and shared potential concerns. 

Knowsley: New community hub in Huyton

Labour’s Knowsley Council’s regeneration plans for Huyton are taking another step forward following the announcement of £19m in Brownfield Infrastructure Land Funding secured through Homes England. The Council acquired the former B&M unit at Cavendish Walk in 2024, following B&M moving to another premises in Huyton village centre. 

The proposals will see the relocation of Huyton Library to a central, high-street location which will also create flexible community facilities and spaces for leisure, skills and cultural activities. The ground floor will accommodate the new community library and wider space for community engagement, with new office space created on the first floor.

Nottingham: New affordable homes under construction

The construction of 104 affordable homes is under way on disused land surrounding Nottingham War Rooms, a vacant Grade II-listed former regional war room and Cold War nuclear bunker. The development, in Beechdale, Nottingham, was made possible by a £2.1 million investment from the Labour East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward’s Brownfield Housing Fund.

Some 62 of these homes will be for social rent and 42 for shared ownership. In addition to two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes, there will be six ground-floor maisonettes suitable for older people and those with mobility needs. The homes have been designed with energy efficiency in mind – helping residents save money, as well as supporting the environment.

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Cardiff: New council housing on site of former Co-op store

Plans to bring forward 60 new council homes in Cathays as part of Labour Cardiff Council’s development programme have been agreed. The plans form part of the Council’s commitment to bring forward more than 4,500 new homes across the city, helping to address unprecedented demand and a limited supply of good quality, affordable housing.

The development is located on the site of the former Co-op store and office building at 62–64 Crwys Road, within a well-connected residential area close to shops, services and public transport, and would deliver a five-storey mixed-use building, including 60 apartments for council rent, a community centre and ground floor retail space. The council is working with Cathays Community Group to relocate it from its existing building on Cathays Terrace into the new ground floor community space.

North East: £2.2m fund to support North East’s grassroots venues 

Labour North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has launched a new £2.2m fund to support grassroots venues across the region. The three-year fund will provide grants from £3,000 to £100,000 to enable small venues of up to 300 seated capacity (or 500 standing) to invest in equipment and infrastructure, or boost revenue-making operations. 

The fund has been shaped in partnership with the region’s creative sector, with organisations including Generator working alongside the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority to help ensure investment responds to the needs of grassroots venues and the communities they serve. Small venues are a breeding ground for performers looking to develop their skills and experience, and are essential to the cultural ecosystem, not just locally but nationally as well. 

The fund will be open for applications in the autumn, with an initial £800,000 in grants available in the fund’s first year. 

Rotherham: New flood alleviation scheme at Whiston

Labour Rotherham Council is working in partnership with the Environment Agency to deliver the £7 million Whiston Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme, to help reduce the risk of flooding in Whiston and better protect homes, businesses and local roads by improving how water moves through Whiston and by increasing the capacity of the drainage system during periods of heavy rainfall.

The scheme includes improvements to sections of the watercourse that currently flow through culverts beneath the roads, as well as the creation of a new flood storage area on adjacent land. During heavy rain, excess water will be temporarily stored within this area and then released at a controlled rate once water levels have reduced. By slowing the flow of water and reducing pressure on existing drainage infrastructure, the project will help lower the risk of flooding to homes, businesses and key transport routes during storm events. Construction has started and is expected to run through to spring 2027. 

Greenwich: School students learn construction skills on council home sites

Local young people in the Labour-run Royal Borough of Greenwich have been benefiting from work experience on construction sites for the 1,750 council homes being built across the borough. Any contractor that works with the council to build new social housing must provide additional social value, and this has resulted in hundreds of jobs, training placements, school visits, local area improvements and work experience schemes for people all over Greenwich.

So far, the Greenwich Builds programme has created 756 new homes, with 505 under construction and more sites in the pipeline. The programme has resulted in £44.5 million worth of additional social value, including jobs and training for 329 people across Greenwich.

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