Growth and Infrastructure Act, Swansea sell-off, Roadwork costs, Procurement gurus

Growth and Infrastructure Act unlocks developments
The Government hopes that 75,000 stalled developments will be unlocked following the passing of the Growth and Infrastructure Act this week. It means that councils will have the option to renegotiate economically unviable Section 106 agreements.

Swansea to sell assets
Swansea Council is reviewing its £600m-worth of assets to see what may be sold. Money released will be partly used for work on existing properties including schools and the Hafod Copperworks. It is also reviewing schools land to identify any spaces which could be sold.

Dudley politicians unite
Labour and Conservative members in Dudley have written to the government asking for an increase in grants to the area. The letter follows a report from think tank the New Local Government Network predicting a £16.5bn spending gap for councils. The deputy leader of Dudley Council said: ‘The report from the New Local Government Network, which talks of a tidal wave of cuts, should act (as) a warning to us all.”

Task force to tackle shoddy roadworks
Councils have spent half a billion pounds over the past two years resurfacing sub standard roads dug up by contractors. A new task force of councils, utility companies and business has been set up to try and reduce the costs. The taskforce will also try to tackle the problem of the same stretch of road being dug up repeatedly by different companies.

Procurement gurus to further savings
The government has appointed six business leaders to help it get the best value from contracts. They will work with departments to talk to suppliers and negotiate the best contracts. Said Francis Maude: “We’re serious about equipping the civil service with the right skills to help the UK compete in the global race. That’s why we’ve recruited experts from the business world, using their commercial insight to work alongside departments to get the most from relationships with our largest suppliers.”