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:
- Work starts on step-free access at Greater Manchester railway stations
- New system launches to improve Chesterfield tenants experience with repairs
- New Control Centre at West Midlands Metro’s Wednesbury depot
- North East Mayor’s £250 million skills plan gets underway
- Donnington housing development delivers lasting benefits
- Hammersmith & Fulham home upgrades deliver major energy savings
- New affordable homes in Plymouth
Please send news from your council to Paul Dimoldenberg at [email protected].
Greater Manchester: Work starts on step-free access at railway stations
Step-free access at railway stations is the main target of a £100 million Transport for Greater Manchester programme that will see a further seven locations upgraded in the next two years. In total, £4.3 million is being spent at Swinton on a new lift, accessible toilets and improvements to CCTV and lighting. Work is expected to be completed in spring 2027.
Already on site are projects at Bryn and Hindley in Wigan, and Reddish North in Stockport. Daisy Hill and Irlam were made step-free last year. TfGM will start work in spring 2027 at Levenshulme, and Tameside stations Flowery Field and Newton for Hyde. Bredbury, Woodsmoor, and Davenport stations in Stockport will be upgraded in 2028. The work fits into the plans of Bev Craig, Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester’s to bring eight commuter rail lines into the Bee Network by 2028 and create a more accessible, joined-up public transport system.
Chesterfield: New system launches to improve tenants’ experience with repairs
Labour Chesterfield Borough Council is launching a new and improved system to make it easier for council tenants to receive helpful updates about repairs to their home. The new system, Total Mobile, is designed to provide tenants with clearer, more timely information about their upcoming repair appointments, including text and email notifications. Tenants will start to receive a text message confirming when a repair operative is due to visit their home, while email confirmations will be sent when an appointment is booked, along with a reminder the day before.
Tenants will also receive a text message when a repairs operative is on the way – helping to provide reassurance that the person attending their home is a Chesterfield Borough Council employee. The new system also introduces a dynamic scheduling tool for the council, allowing the council to allocate repairs more efficiently and help reduce waiting times and repeat visits. Council tenants who have not already provided their current contact details are being encouraged to update them online so that they can benefit from the new system.
Wednesbury: New Control Centre at West Midlands Metro’s Wednesbury depot
A new Operational Control Centre has opened at West Midlands Metro’s Wednesbury depot, serving as the new nerve centre for tram operations, ahead of the opening later this year of the Metro extension between Wednesbury and Dudley town centre. The centre forms part of a wider redevelopment of the Wednesbury depot, and includes a new data wall, giving real-time visibility across the network, nearby roads, public spaces and connecting transport services. It also incorporates heat mapping technology and video analytics to detect crowd build-up or suspicious behaviour, allowing resources to be deployed more quickly.
A new track has also been installed at the depot to give direct access to the Wednesbury to Dudley route, alongside a vastly expanded stabling area to accommodate additional trams and improved facilities for drivers and staff. Richard Parker, Labour Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “As we prepare to open the extension to Dudley town centre, this new world-class control room ensures we deliver a safer, more reliable and more efficient Metro network for the thousands of people who rely on our trams every day.”
North East: Mayor’s £250 million skills plan gets underway
A £250 million skills programme has launched to help North East residents access jobs in some of the region’s fastest-growing and most in-demand industries. The first trainees have begun courses through the Adult Skills Training Programme, which forms part of North East Labour Mayor Kim McGuinness’ New Deal for North East Workers.
Backed by investment of around £80 million a year, the programme will focus on areas including construction, manufacturing, technology and the green economy, alongside foundational sectors such as health, care, logistics and community services.
Support will particularly target adults with low qualifications, people facing health barriers, women looking to enter technical careers, care-experienced young adults and those seeking to progress in work. The programme is structured around three strands.
- Skills Foundation will focus on essential skills and confidence
- Skills Activation will provide technical training and apprenticeships
- Skills for Work will offer employer-designed courses aimed at providing direct routes into jobs.
The investment is designed to address skills shortages while ensuring residents can benefit from growth in areas including clean energy and innovation. The programme also forms part of wider efforts to reduce economic inactivity and make training more accessible to communities that have historically faced barriers to employment and skills development.
Telford and Wrekin: Donnington housing development delivers lasting benefits
The Wild Walk housing development in Donnington has provided much more than new homes for local people. Delivered by Lovell Partnerships Ltd in partnership with Nuplace, Labour Telford and Wrekin Council’s wholly owned housing company, and Housing Plus Group, the mixed-tenure scheme has created a new community, delivering 329 homes. A year on from completion, a social value report prepared by Lovell has highlighted the significant social, economic and environmental benefits delivered through the development.
The report shows that the scheme delivered a significant boost to the local economy, with £14.7 million spent within a 30-mile radius of the development. Of that, 75 percent was retained within the local area and 93 percent was spent with small and medium-sized businesses. The development also helped to create opportunities for local people, supporting 50 apprentices, providing 25 work experience placements and enabling 17 new employees to work on the contract with Lovell. A further 363 hours of support was provided to help unemployed people gain skills and access employment opportunities.
Hammersmith & Fulham: Home upgrades deliver major energy savings
Major home improvements are now delivering energy and cost savings for residents of 36 homes in Banim Street in Hammersmith & Fulham. The Labour council-owned homes support older residents to live independently, and they now boast solar panels, better insulation and improved ventilation, as part of a major upgrade programme helping residents save up to £432 on their energy bills, as well as cutting carbon emissions by up to 42 percent.
The ‘retrofitting’ works involve upgrading homes with energy-saving loft and wall insulation and improved ventilation. The Banim Street homes also received solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity. Meanwhile, works continue across hundreds of homes in Wormholt and Old Oak in Shepherds Bush and Stanford Court, Fulham, where 52 of the homes will receive the most comprehensive upgrade package including air source heat pumps and solar batteries.
Plymouth: New affordable homes in Plymouth
Work is set to start on the redevelopment of a site in Plymouth to bring forward new affordable housing. Housing association LiveWest has signed a contract with Lovell to redevelop the site, following planning approval and the relocation of all residents from the existing scheme. Work on site will begin shortly as preparations are made to create 33 new social rented homes.
The development will replace former homes at Healy Place with a mix of new affordable properties designed to meet modern housing standards and provide high-quality, energy-efficient homes for local people. The scheme has significant funding support from Homes England and Labour Plymouth City Council.
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