Sixty councils to receive funding from 'Trailblazers' housing advice programme

Sixty councils will benefit from increased funding to boost their housing and employment advice options for local residents, Communities Minister Iain Wright announced today.

The Minster revealed the winners of the second round of 'Trailblazers' housing advice programme today.

The 20 projects cover 60 council areas and each scheme will receive up to £260,000 to develop their housing advice services, making links to employment advice, and giving local residents more personalised information about the range of housing options available to them.

The Trailblazer schemes will offer a greater range of advice to people looking for housing, whether it is helping people to stay in their own homes, social and private rented or shared ownership.

The personalised advice service will take into account the person's individual circumstances to ensure they make the best choice for their specific circumstances.

Housing Minister Iain Wright said: "We all know the importance of having all the facts to hand when making any decision, let alone one of the big life choices such as choosing where to live and in what sort of home.
"These Trailblazer schemes make sure people are fully informed of their options and able to make the decision that is right for them in their individual circumstances, not someone else's."

The first round gave twelve councils across the country the opportunity to develop their services.

As well as the twenty schemes announced in this round a further ten projects will receive 'kick start' funding to begin developing their own approach to linking housing and employment advice, using the mentoring skills and expertise of the original twelve councils to help them in setting up their schemes.

The 20 2nd round local authority Trailblazer projects are:

* Greater Haven Gateway - covering Babergh Braintree Colchester, Ipswich Maldon, Mid-Suffolk Suffolk Coastal Tendring
* Broxtowe
* Home Options Subregion - covering High Peak, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, Amber Valley
* Islington
* London Learning Disabilities Partnership - Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Sutton, Richmond, Lambeth, Wandsworth
* County Durham - Easington, Chester Le Street, City of Durham, Sedgefield, Teesdale, Wear Valley, Derwentside
* Blackburn with Darwen
* Cheshire West - Chester, Vale Royal, Ellesmere Port and Neston
* Manchester
* Salford
* Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire
* East Surrey - Reigate and Banstead , Elmbridge Mole Valley Tandridge , Epsom and Ewell
* Tunbridge Wells and Rother
* Exeter Partnership - Exeter, East Devon North Devon West Devon South Hams, Torridge Torbay Plymouth Mid Devon Teignbridge
* West Dorset
* Redditch
* Solihull
* Stoke on Trent
* Bradford
* Wakefield

Authorities receiving 'kick start' funding will be:

* Newham
* Hull
* Cambridge Sub-regional housing board - Cambridge City, Fenland, Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury, East Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire
* Harborough
* Mansfield
* Sevenoaks
* Eastbourne
* Oxford
* Rotherham
* West London Housing Partnership - Harrow, Ealing, Hillingdon, Brent, Hounslow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea.

The projects will each receive funding over two years starting April 2009.