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Home > Regional
Housing Strategy > Introduction
Introduction
The North West Regional Housing Board was set up to ensure delivery
of the policies set out in the Communities Plan , and specifically
to prepare a Regional Housing Strategy as the basis for advice to
Ministers on the priorities for strategic housing investment in
the region. The Board currently comprises representatives of the
Government Office for the North West, the Housing Corporation, the
North West Development Agency, the North West Regional Assembly,
English Partnerships and the North West Housing Forum.
The Board also have a responsibility to ensure the high level strategies
(including the Regional Economic Strategy and Regional Planning
Guidance ) in the North West are consistent and support the Communities
Plan and the wider objectives of sustainable development and economic
progress. The organisations represented on the Board accept that
this places an obligation on them to work together much more effectively
at regional level to make sure that this happens, and are committed
to doing that. The Board members need to take this a stage further
- not just aligning regional strategies, but also investment plans
and programmes to maximise the contribution each makes to the priorities
the Board are collectively establishing. The Board is keen to make
the most of this opportunity to increase the influence of the region
itself on some key strategic investment decisions.
The tight timetable for the production of this initial Regional
Housing Strategy meant the scope for consultation and broad involvement
in developing the strategy was inevitably limited. Despite this,
the Board's work was greatly assisted by the views, ideas and evidence
submitted by a wide range of partners in response to the 'Scoping
Paper' published at the beginning of May, complemented by a number
of discussions and debates at a variety of events across the region.
The main points raised are summarised in Annex C to this Strategy.
Even so, time for debate and discussion within the region, and
indeed for information gathering and analysis, has been less than
we would hope for. This Strategy is therefore an interim one - a
'work in progress' with a narrower focus than we envisage for the
future. We will immediately begin reviewing the Strategy, taking
action to improve the data and analysis underpinning the document,
perhaps commissioning research to fill gaps, and consulting in more
depth on the issues it raises. In the meantime, this Strategy will
form the basis for advice to Ministers on strategic housing investment
priorities and the allocation of the new single pot for housing
for 2004/05 and 2005/06.
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