Tag: Department for Levelling Up

The press release issued by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 15 August 2022.

Social housing residents will be able to get training and support to speak up and raise issues with their landlord, the government has announced today.

A £500,000 government grant to provide training, boost confidence and offer toolkits for residents on a range of social housing issues has today opened for bids.

The Resident Opportunities and Empowerment programme will run from Autumn 2022 to Spring 2025 and will empower social housing residents across England to hold their landlord to account.

It includes opportunities for residents to learn how to influence landlord decisions that affect tenants and their community. For example, guidance on how to form a residents panel will help residents in engaging with their landlords where services, such as repairs and maintenance, do not meet required standards.

The announcement is a key part of the government’s commitment to re-balancing the relationship between tenants and landlords, set out in the Social Housing White Paper.

Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing Eddie Hughes MP said:

“Tenants have a right for their voices to be heard – and we want to ensure they have the tools and resources to do this.  

We committed to rebalancing the relationship between social housing tenants and landlords as part of our Social Housing White Paper. 

This new grant will enable an organisation with expertise in the sector to help tenants take an active role in how their home is managed.” 

The £500,000 grant is open to bids from organisations or partnerships in England with relevant expertise in the social housing sector and an understanding of the importance of resident empowerment.

Applicants should have experience in:

providing training, capacity building and access to independent information, within the social housing sector;

working collaboratively with landlords to deliver outcomes beneficial to residents and their communities;

establishing significant and appropriate sector links and networks, to reach social housing residents, including underrepresented demographics and new audiences

delivering an offer which supports and adds value to the measures set out in the ‘Social Housing White Paper, The Charter for Social Housing Residents’; and

delivering projects that provide value for money.

The application window is open now for 7 weeks until 2 October 2022.

The press release issue by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 11 August 2022.

Vital bridges connecting Grimsby and Immingham will be repaired to boost the local key industries and tourism, prevent road closures and secure future jobs for the region, Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark announced today (11 August 2022).

In the latest step to level up Grimsby, £8 million of funding has been confirmed to help fix damaged bridges along the A180 – a vital route that connects the region’s key ports, serves residents and tourists and provides an estimated £2.5 billion to the local economy’s Seafood Cluster each year.

The funding will prevent months of disruption and closures for residents, as well as making sure local industries can continue to grow and helping to create more skilled jobs in the area.

Grimsby was the pilot Town Deal area, and the government has awarded over £4 5million through the Pilot and its flagship Towns Fund and Future High Streets programmes to support plans to renew and reshape the town centre. This includes plans to build 129 new high quality, low carbon homes in the town.

Secretary of State for Levelling up Greg Clark said:

“The work to level up vital towns like Grimsby requires acting on what local people say is important and acting on what local people want – including local infrastructure.

The funding we are announcing today will provide a vital lifeline for Grimsby’s industry now and in the future and I am looking forward to seeing how our investment is helping local communities to flourish and further unlock the area’s potential.”

DLUHC arm’s length body, Homes England, will assist North East Lincolnshire council to develop plans to revitalise the town centre, including for the 129 homes on Garth Lane.

Cllr Philip Jackson, the Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said:

“I am delighted that our collaboration with government on the levelling up agenda is bearing fruit. The key infrastructure investment announced today, as well as our work with Homes England, focused on Garth Lane and wider town centre regeneration, are essential elements of our drive to deliver sustainable local economic growth for our residents, our communities and our businesses. I look forward to our collaboration with Government continuing.”

Benj Sykes from energy firm Orsted UK, which operates in the area, said:

“The offshore wind industry in Grimsby relies on the skilled and committed workers who have helped to create a world-leading hub. As the industry grows, we need the government to continue to develop the infrastructure the region needs to thrive, and I’m delighted to see further investment in the region.”

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on 7 August 2022.

New guidance will help make sure takeaway food businesses play their part in cleaning up high streets, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has set out today (7 August 2022).

Updated guidance published today will clarify the powers councils in England have to set stricter litter rules for new hot food takeaways when considering planning applications, including making sure that more bins are installed to reduce rubbish in the surrounding area.

The move will help create cleaner town centres, with figures showing that fast food items are the fourth most common type of litter found on UK high streets.

Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark said:

We are empowering councils to make sure new takeaway food businesses are doing their bit to stop rubbish littering our high streets.

It is just one of the many ways we are improving the environment and making sure we can all take pride in the local communities we call home.

The guidance will give councils clear and consistent advice on what rules they can enforce when new takeaways open, such as ensuring they install more bins and anti-litter signs around shops or have staff members pick up litter regularly. Failing to adhere to these rules could result in financial penalties.

A number of councils are already putting these requests into place, such as Gateshead Council which has ordered new takeaways to provide litter bins for customers.

Today’s announcement will ensure this practice becomes the norm across the country, so that new takeaway outlets do not increase the impact of litter on local communities.

This is part of wider measures set out in the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy to improve the public realm and create safer and cleaner spaces.

It follows new funding announced by the Environment Secretary yesterday to remove chewing gum stains from our high streets, with more than 40 councils across the UK awarded grants of up to £70,000.