Life in Salford 26 • August 2019 3
Creating a better and fairer Salford This issue of Life in Salford has a report on actions the council has taken to make our city a better and fairer place to live (pages four to seven), organised around my eight priorities. One of these priorities is to provide more affordable housing. We’re looking at a range of opportunities to increase the supply of homes and help people on the housing list. Unfortunately, government regulations make it difficult to get affordable homes out of developers. That's why we set up Dérive, a development company wholly owned by Salford City Council, to increase the number of affordable homes, meet people’s housing needs, provide quality and sustainable homes and neighbourhoods and maximise social value for the city. I am delighted to tell you that we have now agreed to sell land at Astley Road to Salford construction company Seddon who will work with Great Places Housing Association. Together they will build 27 affordable homes on the site of the old council buildings, subject to planning approval.
Five of the homes will be handed to Dérive, with a further six for affordable rent, six for social rent and ten for shared ownership. This builds on the earlier news that works are progressing on eight two and three bedroom homes at Duchy Road for Dérive. These plans not only provide new homes but keep money in the city. In December last year we published our second social impact report which details how we are increasing the money we spend with Salford suppliers, creating jobs and training opportunities for local people. Whilst the amount we spend is reduced year-on-year due to government budget cuts we are making sure that the money we do have available is spent in a way that generates the most amount of social impact for our communities. The council’s spend with Salford based suppliers has increased to nearly 60% of the total budget and our ambitions are to go much further. We’re working with other organisations to develop a truly inclusive economy where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from the city’s growth and economic activity. Paul Dennett, City Mayor of Salford
Creating a better and fairer Salford with the Great Eight
Creating a better and fairer Salford with the Great
Eight
Tackling poverty and inequality
Education and skills
Health and social care
Economic development
Housing
Transport
A transparent effective organisation
Social impact
