No. 38/04

Press Release: 3 August 2004

YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE RECEIVES £200K INNOVATION AND GOOD PRACTICE CASH BOOST

The Yorkshire and Humberside region will benefit from a £208,289 cash windfall as part of a package of grants to encourage innovation and good practice in housing, announced today by the Housing Corporation.

The three projects funded include two which are specifically designed to encourage residents to have a greater say in how their neighbourhoods are run and managed.

The largest single grant of £100,000 goes to the Hull and East Riding Pathfinder area in order to develop community engagement in neighbourhood regeneration.

Elsewhere, there is £70,000 for the Golden Triangle Partnership to develop and implement a range of innovative housing and planning solutions to enable improved access to housing; and £38,289 for South Yorkshire HA to develop tenant involvment and Black and Minority Ethnic resident-led neighbourhood renewal.

Housing Corporation chief executive, Jon Rouse, said: "Our Investment and Good Practice programme, and particularly the Community Training and Enabling element, delivers much-needed funds to meet local priorities. This is real cash, going direct to real people who are engaged in initiatives which benefit entire communities.

"Over the years, our IGP programme has funded a raft of pioneering projects, many of which have subsequently paved the way as examples of best practice within the sector. I am delighted that the package we are announcing today will ensure that this good work continues."

The Corporation is also implementing a number of wide-ranging changes to the IGP programme to better reflect central and regional Government priorities. The IGP programme was launched in 1995 and has funded over 2000 projects to date, to the tune of £75m.

ends

For more information contact Gillian Watson on 020 7393 2095; email: gillian.watson@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk, or Robert Davies on 020 7393 2227; email: robert.davies@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. The Housing Corporation is the Government agency responsible for regulating and investing in over 2,000 housing associations in England. It is changing the face of affordable homes, creating strong communities that are exciting places to live and work. Its biggest ever investment programe of £3.3 billion for 2004-06 will fund over 67,000 affordable homes.