Council chiefs praise 'positive progress' of HCA's Single Conversation

A new way of doing business that helps local authorities achieve their housing and regeneration goals is meeting wide-scale support and success. 

According to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), its Single Conversation business model, which has been developed to co-ordinate discussion and make better use of local funding streams, is now underway with 67 per cent of all Local Authorities around the country.

Behind each of the Agency’s 121 conversations is a series of on-going negotiations and discussions with 259 Local Authorities plus Regional Development Agencies, organisations such as the Highways Agency, Environment Agency and other public bodies to establish priorities for each place and agree next steps. New and existing partners have welcomed this way of working with the HCA and see the Single Conversation as a positive approach.

In London, Single Conversations have been started with all 33 boroughs while in Yorkshire and the Humber, 22 areas are engaged in the process. The North East and North West have conversations underway with almost all of the areas in both regions.

The East Midlands and West Midlands have established seven and 12 conversations respectively. In the South East eight areas are involved in the Single Conversation while in the South West, there are 11 areas, equating to full coverage. In the East of England 70 per cent of the areas in the region are now included in the Single Conversation process.

Sir Bob Kerslake, chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency, said: “There has been a lot of good work by our partners and regional teams to get us to this point and I am pleased with the progress we have made so far.

"Each region is very different and in some areas, Local Authorities are working together in this way for the first time. Getting to this stage is a big achievement for the HCA and all of our partners.

"It is important that local people and places benefit from this new approach and our focus is on continuing to work with our partners to develop Local Investment Plans that will set out specific priorities for each area."

In the East of England, one of the early results of the Single Conversation is a partnership between the HCA and Norwich City Council to establish a joint process that will create a supply of new homes and jobs over 12 years.

Under the terms of the partnership, the HCA will invest £7.5m with the city, while Norwich City Council will invest some of its land that will amount to around 1,300 homes around the city to be jointly developed. The financial return that comes out of these sites could reach between £60-80m over the next 12 years, and will be reinvested jointly into more regeneration and building schemes in Norwich.

In Hull, the process has also been seen as positive for the city. Nicola Yates, Acting Chief Executive of Hull City Council said: "We were very pleased to be involved at the beginning of the Single Conversation. As a business approach, it is a good starting point and has the potential to ensure investment priorities are determined locally.

"Furthermore, it offers a platform for an open and honest conversation with local and national partners, helping to maximise the opportunities we have to deliver change and enhance the lives of local people."

Elsewhere, a Single Conversation Co-ordination Group has been set up in Cumbria to oversee the process and look at priorities for the area, which will be documented in a Local Investment Agreement.

The group consists of representatives from Cumbria County Council, Eden District Council, Cumbria Housing Executive Group, Cumbria Vision, North West Development Agency and the HCA. The group are now beginning to consult local partners about priority projects, funding implications and resource requirements to inform the draft agreement.

On progress so far in County Durham, George Garlick, Chief Executive of Durham County Council, commented: "Our experience of working with the HCA has been very positive. Together we are focusing on developing a co-ordinated and robust regeneration strategy for County Durham.

"This has included the development of our Regeneration Statement, which sets out our future plans for the county, and the Total Place pilot scheme, which is focusing on housing regeneration. The Single Conversation process is helping to ensure we address these, and other important regeneration issues, in a much more focused and co-ordinated way."

Work in the Peak Sub Region has been progressing well with governance arrangements now in place, evidence base near to sign off, a consultation strategy in progress and a well advanced draft plan. The Peak Steering Group is on schedule to have the initial investment plan agreed by the end of March 2010.

David Wheatcroft, Chief Executive of Derbyshire Dales District Council said: "The ‘Single Conversation’ has proved to be just that. It has enabled us to build on past partnership working in the Peak Sub Region with the joint aim of delivering affordable housing and ensuring the sustainability of our communities, with the confidence that the HCA are very much part of that ongoing partnership."

Good progress is also being made in the South of the country. Sarah Ward, Chairman of Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Strategic Housing Group said: "In Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, we are fortunate to be able to use our established Multi-Area Agreement Partnership as a basis for the Single Conversation.

"This has enabled us to share and prioritise our ambitions for the economic growth of the sub-region, led by local authorities but with broad stakeholder engagement.  We welcome the HCA’s new approach to securing investment which will result in positive outcomes in delivering much needed affordable housing and sustainable regeneration development in our communities."

Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Strategic Housing and Economic Development, Councillor Ted Fry said: "We see the Single Conversation as an exciting opportunity to have an open and honest dialogue with Government agencies so that we can compete on a national level for resources, and to ensure our own investment processes are in order.

"It helps us build on the progress we have already made in transforming Plymouth. We have a clear vision and are at the forefront of the Local Development Framework process with one of the first adopted Core Strategies as well as five adopted Area Action Plans.

"Our aspirations are already becoming reality with the transformation of our derelict dockland, the urban regeneration of Devonport and the city’s East End, and the massive transformation of North Prospect. For us here in Plymouth its not just about transforming homes and neighbourhoods, but raising aspirations and quality of life in deprived areas.

"Working with the Homes and Communities Agency and the Regional Development Agency, the Single Conversation is helping us to clarify our priorities so that we can continue to attract public investment where it is most needed and will have the most impact in improving the lives of the people who live here."

David Liston-Jones, Chief Executive of the Thames Gateway Kent Partnership also welcomed the Single Conversation. He said: "In North Kent we were very much in favour of the HCA's 'Single Conversation' proposal and were pleased to be selected as one of the 3 pilot Single Conversations in the South East.

"We see this as building on the strong partnership working developed through the recently signed Multi Area Agreement, and vital to ensuring that the right investment choices are made to achieve sustainable economic growth and regeneration in North Kent."

The Single Conversation brings together all of the parties involved in a particular place to discuss the long term vision for that area, housing and regeneration priorities and investment needs. Offering expertise, funding and the sharing of good practice through its discussions with Local Authorities and other agencies, the HCA can also help to leverage funding from other sources.

As part of the Single Conversation development, the HCA Academy is working with the agency’s regional teams to help identify local skills gaps and assist partners with the process. The Academy is also tailoring existing courses and resources and developing bespoke, regionally-focused learning programmes to meet local training needs.