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:

• First bricks laid on new Heath Town homes in Wolverhampton
• Leicester Railway station boost
• Work starts to boost safety on Liverpool’s Wavertree High Street
• New Business Hub to support local growth in Caerphilly
• New Superloop express bus comes to Redbridge
• 1,400+ council homes switch to solar power in Brighton & Hove
• Holmfirth transport scheme completed in West Yorkshire

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

Wolverhampton: First bricks laid on second phase of new Heath Town homes

The first bricks have been laid by Labour Wolverhampton Council as part of the ongoing transformation of the Heath Town estate, delivering 32 one and two-bedroom Council apartments on vacant land where a pub once stood. The development will include wheelchair-accessible ground floor homes and is part of a second phase of Heath Town regeneration that will deliver more than 100 new council homes across five sites.

The first phase saw 40 new council houses built on Hobgate Road and one site on Tithe Croft, off Chervil Rise. This came after an extensive demolition programme of vacant buildings, while existing residential blocks continue to undergo major improvements by Wolverhampton Homes. Through a Local Lettings Plan developed with the Heath Town Tenants and Residents Association, the majority of the first phase homes have been allocated to existing council tenants, including those with a local connection to Heath Town.

Other works completed as part of the Heath Town redevelopment include the demolition of walkways and garages in the Hobgate Road area of the estate and the refurbishment of the ground and lower ground floors of Ling House to provide office, meeting and activity space for the Hope Family Centre.

Leicester: Railway station boost

Labour Leicester City Council has been given the go-ahead to allocate almost £10 million of Government funding to help ensure that a revamp of Leicester’s historic railway station goes ahead with improved facilities, increased passenger capacity, and a new public plaza to create a more accessible and attractive gateway into the city.

The Department for Transport has agreed to transfer £9.95 million of the £12.15 million of Levelling Up funding originally awarded to the St Margaret’s junction scheme. Under the new funding agreement, the railway station project will now receive financial backing totalling £27.5 million, and key improvements to the St Margaret’s junction, one of the city’s busiest, will still go ahead.

The original façade of the historic Grade-II listed building will be restored to its Victorian glory. The existing glass-roofed entrance hall will be overhauled to provide an attractive place for cafés, bars or retail. Pick-up and drop-off points will be relocated from inside the station to a new location at the rear of the station. A new curved ramp, steps and lift will provide access to the new entrance and ticket hall, providing more space for passengers.

Liverpool: Work starts to boost safety and accessibility on Wavertree High Street

A series of improvement works on Wavertree High Street and Picton Road are bringing a better travel experience on a key Liverpool route. The works mark the next phase of more than £2 million in funding from the Labour Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram. Works include full carriageway resurfacing, improved pedestrian crossing points and the installation of push-button crossings on all four arms of the junction between Picton Road and Rathbone Road.

The introduction of a vehicle detection system to traffic signals along the route will improve signal timings and have a positive impact on lane capacity. This is a busy location, and residents have raised concerns about how difficult it can be to cross safely. These upgrades will make a real difference for pedestrians and will help create a safer, more accessible environment for everyone who uses the high street.

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Caerphilly: New Business Hub to support local growth and innovation in Tredomen

Caerphilly businesses are set to benefit from a new workspace with the launch of The Bridge Business Hub – a flexible, modern facility designed to support entrepreneurs, startups, and growing businesses. The Bridge is based at the Tredomen Innovation and Technology Centre on Tredomen Business Park and offers a professional environment where businesses can connect, collaborate, and thrive. The Hub is designed for freelancers needing a productive desk for the day, teams requiring meeting space, or entrepreneurs seeking a professional base.

The Hub provides a range of options from daily passes and private office space to fully equipped meeting rooms and event facilities. By offering flexible, affordable workspace solutions, the Hub aims to remove traditional barriers to business development giving startups, freelancers, and established companies the freedom to scale in a supportive environment.

Redbridge: New Superloop express bus comes to Redbridge 

A brand-new Superloop express bus route, SL12, started operating between Gants Hill and Rainham (Ferry Lane) on 5th September, offering faster and more direct journeys across east London. The new route, operated by TfL, will improve connections to key destinations, including:

• Faster access to Romford for shopping, work, leisure and the Elizabeth line
• Easy links to the District line at Elm Park and the Central line at Newbury Park
• Connections to the Central line and Superloop route SL2 at Gants Hill
• A direct bus link between King George Hospital and Queen’s Hospital
• The first-ever bus service into the Ferry Lane Industrial Estate, improving access for local businesses and employees

SL12 will be operated by new electric buses featuring USB charging points, air conditioning, real-time travel information and priority seating, making journeys more comfortable and sustainable. Buses will run daily from around 5.30am to 12.30am, every 12 minutes during the day (Monday to Saturday) and every 15 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays.

Brighton & Hove: More than 1,400 council homes switch to solar power

Solar panels have been installed on more than 1,000 council homes across Labour Brighton & Hove in a 3-year project completed this summer. It brings the total number of council homes in the city now with solar panels to more than 1,400 and will help to reduce energy bills for council tenants and cut carbon emissions. The installation programme focused on council-rented houses and bungalows with the lowest energy efficiency ratings, particularly those with electric heating, and areas of the city with a higher likelihood of fuel poverty. Residents are feeling the benefits, with potential savings of up to £300 a year on their electricity bills.   

Solar panels are installed on the roofs of homes selected for the project and provide free electricity for residents in the property whenever they are generating power. If the household uses more electricity than is being generated, power still comes from the national grid and is paid for in the usual way. Any surplus electricity generated by the panels is exported to the national grid, helping the drive to lower carbon emissions. The solar panels do not need direct sunlight to work and still generate electricity on a cloudy day. However, the stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is generated.

West Yorkshire: £10 million Holmfirth transport scheme completed

A £10 million transport scheme aimed at making Holmfirth town centre safer, more accessible and better connected has been completed. Funded through Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin’s Transforming Cities Fund, the project has delivered improvements to parking, pedestrian links, cycling facilities and public spaces including:

• Huddersfield Road Car Park now features additional spaces and more accessible disabled parking bays.
• A pedestrian link between Huddersfield Road and Hollowgate has been reinstated, improving connections through the town centre and access to local businesses.
• Improvements to infrastructure and the bridge over the River Holme, alongside boundary walls and river access.
• New paving, tactile surfaces, kerbing, drainage and pedestrian crossings have been introduced to create a safer and more accessible environment for residents and visitors.

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