The Sheffield City Region has agreed a deal with the government that will see national powers and control over funding transferred to the local body and a £900m cash injection.
The National Housing Federation (NHF) says the deal, which is subject to a period of consultation, is a welcome step towards addressing the housing crisis.
Jo Allen, External Affairs Manager for Yorkshire and the Humber at NHF, said: “Today’s announcement on a historic devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region offers real opportunities to tackle the housing crisis at a local level.
“As a healthy, local housing market is one of the key drivers for productivity and public sector efficiency, it is vitally important that both housing and planning powers feature in this deal and others like it.”
Local leaders from Sheffield City Region recently accompanied Chancellor George Osborne on his trip to China where they promoted the area as part of his northern powerhouse plans.
The deal will enable the region to build on and develop its assets to help meet the wider set of national infrastructure challenges.
It will also address a range of themes including transport, inward investment, employment and the housing shortage.
Sir Stephen Houghton, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, said: “This proposal marks the next step on our devolution journey and will enable local leaders to make bigger and better local decisions over skills, business growth and infrastructure.
“Over the coming months, we will be speaking to local residents, businesses and partners about what this means for economic growth in their City Region.”
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