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 homes at former Telford school site
• First major park in Manchester’s Victoria North regeneration
• Merton pop-up tips increased
• Five new sensory rooms have opened across Torfaen
• Progress on plans for 362 new Council homes in Reading
• Over 200 new social rent homes in Shropshire
• More brownfield sites unlocked by North East Mayor

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

Telford: Over 200 homes at former Telford school site

West Midlands Labour Mayor Richard Parker has backed a £2m investment towards 207 new homes on the derelict site of the former Phoenix School in Telford, with more than 40% of the homes (86 in total) for social rent. The investment forms part of Mayor Parker’s “Homes for Everyone” campaign and will be used by developer Lovell Partnerships to help with site preparation costs on the 18-acre site. Once completed, 71 of the homes will be sold by Lovell on the open market, 50 will be available for private rent through Telford and Wrekin Borough Council-owned lettings company NuPlace, and 86 social rent homes will be managed by Housing Plus Group.

This is the third housing investment the Mayor has made in Telford following the Station Quarter and Stirchley House schemes, bringing total mayoral investment in the borough to around £10.5m and unlocking more than 600 new homes.

Manchester: First major park in Victoria North regeneration

A forgotten woodland has been transformed into a 2.7-acre urban park as the first major green space at St Catherine’s Wood in Manchester’s Victoria North regeneration programme, at the heart of the Red Bank neighbourhood, where new residents have already moved in and proposals exist for over 5,000 more homes. The park is the first phase of 113 acres of interconnected green spaces that will thread through the entire Victoria North regeneration programme. Located alongside the River Irk, the restored woodland has been designed to create a biodiverse environment with over 60 new semi-mature trees, including three endangered Manchester poplar trees, while retaining and protecting hundreds of existing trees. Future phases will include play equipment for young people as local homes are delivered.

The park promotes a ‘Wild Urbanism’ approach that celebrates a more natural approach to green spaces, supporting biodiversity and expanding habitats for wildlife. Information boards explain the area’s history, including the ‘Impossible Bridge’, made famous by L.S. Lowry. The park was made possible using part of a £51.6m Housing Infrastructure Fund grant from Homes England and £6.93m brownfield funding from the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Merton: Pop-up tips increased

Residents in the Labour London Borough of Merton can take advantage of pop-up tips to dispose of household rubbish, recycling, and bulky items responsibly. The Council is expanding its mobile pop-up tips so that every neighbourhood gets one at least four times a year. THis will support cleaner streets and more convenient waste disposal. Residents can also continue to use the borough’s main household recycling and waste centre on Garth Road, Morden throughout the year.

Residents can bring recycling (paper and card, drinks cans, glass, soft plastics), small electronic items such as hairdryers and toasters, household batteries and bulky items such as white goods and furniture. The pop-up tips are for Merton residents only, who need to bring proof of address, such as a driving licence, Council Tax bill or a utility bill.

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Torfaen: Five new sensory rooms have opened across Torfaen

Five new sensory rooms have opened across Torfaen, further expanding access to inclusive, therapeutic environments for children with complex needs, thanks to Labour Torfaen Council’s Play Service. Following growing demand from families, schools and professionals, the new spaces build on the success of the service’s first sensory rooms, opened in March 2025, bringing the total to 11.

Sensory rooms are designed to stimulate the senses through light, sound, touch and movement. Each space includes interactive lighting, tactile panels, soft play features and assistive sensory technology to support a wide range of needs. The new sensory rooms are available at:

• Cwmbran Library, Gwent Square, Cwmbran
• Pontypool Library, Hanbury Road, Pontypool
• Blaenavon World Heritage Centre and Library, Blaenavon
• Cwmbran Integrated Children’s Centre, Ton Road, Cwmbran
• Greenmeadow Community Farm

All sensory rooms are available for hire by parents, carers, community groups and professionals, with no charge to use the facilities. The project was made possible through funding from the Greater Gwent Housing with Care Fund, which supports the development of community-based facilities that promote wellbeing, independence and inclusive access.

Reading: Progress on plans for 362 new affordable Council homes in Reading

Another 362 new affordable Council homes are on the way to being delivered as part of Labour Reading Council’s ongoing commitment to creating more affordable homes in the town. The Council has already delivered 421 new Council homes for residents as part of a major investment in affordable homes. Three developments, comprising 89 homes, are already in progress and remain on schedule to complete this financial year. They are:

• 42 new homes at Hexham Road, plus a day service for adults with profound and multiple learning difficulties
• 30 new homes at Dwyer Road, including flats specially designed for downsizers
• 17 new homes at Amethyst Lane and a new respite scheme

Further homes will be delivered over the next three years:

• 62 new homes in construction at Battle Street, where redevelopment of the former Central Pool site will provide 20 general needs homes along with 29 sheltered housing flats and 13 supported living flats and an older person’s day opportunities service
• 14 new homes planned in Southcote Lane, where redevelopment of the former Southcote Library site will provide 10 two-bedroom flats, 3 three-bedroom flats and a one-bedroom wheelchair-accessible flat, subject to planning approval
• A further 190 new homes at Dee Park as phase 3 of the regeneration project, subject to planning approval. This will add to the 515 new homes this ongoing project has delivered in partnership during the first two phases.

Shropshire: Over 200 new social rent homes in Shropshire

Housing Plus Group has secured £6.4m from Labour West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, to deliver 205 new social rent homes across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. The funding will support four developments in Shrewsbury, Gobowen and Wellington, including 76 apartments for people aged 55 and over at William Farr House in Shrewsbury.

This comes just weeks after Housing Plus Group completed a separate £2.5m regeneration scheme in Dawley, Telford, replacing five ageing bungalows with 16 new energy-efficient homes for social rent, including a specially adapted property allocated to an armed forces veteran.

North East: More brownfield sites unlocked by North East Mayor

The final three sites in North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’s £71m Brownfield Housing Fund have been confirmed. Three developments – at Netherton Lane in Northumberland, Derwentwater Court in Gateshead and Marden Residents Association in North Tyneside – will unlock 38 new homes for social rent. Together, the £566,750 investment in these homes will transform longstanding brownfield sites into high-quality homes while improving neighbourhoods.

This brings the total homes unlocked through funding allocated by the Labour Mayor to more than 4,000, with more than 620 new homes already completed on sites including Newbiggin Hall, Commissioners Quay and Lyndon Walk in Blyth, and The Esplanade in Whitley Bay. Further sites in Walker, Gateshead, New Hartley and Farringdon Row in Sunderland are all currently in construction.

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