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:

• Fifty-two new homes in Stretford 
• Mayor’s £1m boost for Mansfield housing development
• Community hub investment in Swansea
• 20 new affordable homes in North Tyneside 
• New supported living scheme in Brighton & Hove
• Bus partnership success in Leicester
• Government funding to improve three Lincoln play areas

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

Trafford: Fifty-two new homes in Stretford

Labour’s Trafford Council has selected Chadderton-based J Greenwood to build 52 properties off Lacy Street in Stretford. Located opposite Stretford Mall, the project proposes six two-bedroom apartments, 10 two-bedroom terraces, 24 three-bedroom townhouses, and 12 four-bedroom townhouses on a site previously occupied by a Royal Mail sorting office and a probation centre. Around a quarter of the homes will be let on affordable tenures. The full scheme is expected to be completed in 2028.

The Lacy Street site is part of a wider 27-acre masterplan for Stretford that also includes the mall, which the authority is redeveloping in partnership with Bruntwood. Earlier this year Bruntwood and the council secured planning permission to demolish much of the mall and deliver apartments. The scheme is to receive funding from the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig’s Good Growth Fund.

Mansfield: Mayor’s £1m boost for Mansfield housing development

Work is set to start on a Mansfield town centre development after the Labour mayor of the East Midlands Claire Ward awarded £1 million to unlock the site. The money, from the Mayor’s Brownfield Housing Fund, has been given to Mansfield District Council to enable vital preparation work at the White Hart Street development, turning neglected land into affordable homes and creating vibrant places where communities can grow.

The White Hart Street Development will transform a brownfield site that has stood underused for more than a decade. The £1 million grant will support clearance, remediation, and early-phase enabling works, unlocking the land for regeneration and construction of new homes.

Labour Mansfield District Council has received funding to build 43 high-quality, energy-efficient homes at the site, including family properties and apartments to meet the needs of local people.

Sustainability is a core principle of the project, with the homes having an environmentally friendly design, low‑carbon materials, and green technologies supporting Mansfield District Council’s ambition to be net zero by 2040. It is expected that work will start in late 2026, with a view to completion in 2028.

Swansea: Community hub investment 

Y Storfa, a flagship community services hub which transformed two long-empty city centre units in Swansea, has been visited nearly 170,000 times since opening at the end of 2025 after a £28m investment. Y Storfa is located in the former BHS building on Oxford Street.

There has been a 133 per cent increase in library visits in the first few months, alongside significant growth in archive use and participation in events. 

Since early February, more than 169,000 visits have been recorded, with evidence of people spending more time in the city centre because of Y Storfa visits, leading to increased footfall and boosting nearby businesses. Y Storfa was named Project of the Year for Wales in the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor’s awards in June and has become a real destination and has helped bring new life, new energy and more visitors into the city centre. A vacant building has been turned into a vibrant city centre destination while at the same time making it easier for people to access a range of public services in one place.  

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North Tyneside: 20 new affordable homes at Forest Hall 

Karbon Homes has completed 20 affordable homes aimed at helping people take their first steps onto the property ladder at Forest Hall, North Tyneside, on the site of the former Fusilier pub. The development comprises 12 three-bedroom houses and eight two-bedroom apartments, all available through the Rent to Buy scheme. Under the initiative, rents are set at 20 per cent below the average market rate for five years, giving residents the opportunity to save towards a deposit before buying their home.

All 20 properties have achieved an EPC A energy efficiency rating and feature air source heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicle charging points. The development was supported by Homes England under the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26. Councillor John Harrison, cabinet member for Housing at North Tyneside Council, added: “We are committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing across North Tyneside and welcome investment that helps more people access the secure, high-quality homes they need to thrive.”

Brighton & Hove: New supported living scheme 

The construction of the new Brickfields supported living scheme for people with acquired brain injury or physical disabilities in Brighton is now complete, with the first residents expected to move in mid-October. The scheme delivers 28 apartments for independent living, together with associated communal space, and accommodation for staff to provide 24-hour care and support on-site. Some units will be specifically for people aged 18 to 25, and two have been designed for bariatric residents. All the apartments will be wheelchair accessible and have dual-aspect orientations to ensure optimal levels of daylight, privacy and shading.

The building’s generous balconies provide private outdoor space for each flat; residents can also enjoy communal gardens on the ground floor and roof terrace, which are wheelchair accessible throughout. The design also improves accessibility to existing pathways and provides additional handrails around the site. The development has been designed to be energy efficient to reduce energy consumption and save residents’ money on bills. This includes air source heat pumps for efficient communal heating, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and low-energy lighting.

Leicester: Bus partnership success

Leicester’s Labour Mayor Peter Soulsby has joined the city’s seven bus operators to mark a new phase in their partnership and to celebrate what has been achieved over the past four years. Along with £150 million of investment, the partnership has transformed services and delivered a range of improvements for passengers, including

• The introduction of all-operator Flexi tickets with contactless fare capping, 
• Free Hop! city centre bus service, 
• Integrated timetables on shared corridors, 
• Significant investment in electric buses, and 
• Major improvements to bus stops and passenger information. 

By the end of 2027, Leicester’s bus network will be 100% electric and all main stops will have real time information displays. Looking ahead to the next phase, the proposed new One Network partnership will guide a further £75 million of investment into the bus network, up to 2030. 

Lincoln: Government funding to improve three Lincoln play areas

Three play areas in some of Lincoln’s most deprived communities are set to receive a major boost after Labour Lincoln Council has been awarded £270,000 in Government funding to improve play provision. The money will be used to improve The Backies in Moorland, the King George V Playing Field in Glebe, and the Sudbrooke Drive Recreation Area in Minster.

The investment will focus on improving the quality and accessibility of the play areas, with the council working with local communities, schools and other stakeholders to help shape the improvements. Community engagement with children, families and residents will be a key part of the design process, in line with the requirements of the Government’s funding programme.

The council’s Play Area Funding project team is also seeking approval from the council’s Executive to progress the programme and to approve the additional funding needed to maximise the impact of the Government investment. The additional funding being proposed includes £143,235 from Section 106 contributions and £135,000 from the council’s existing investment programme. This would take the overall capital investment in play areas to £518,235, allowing improvements to be made at The Lawn and Nene Road alongside the three sites benefiting from the Government funding.

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