Our true market position

So many people got the wrong impression from your "Tees Valley market project goes it alone" headline on 28 November 2003 (page 11), that I feel compelled to state our true position on housing market renewal.

We do consider that the Tees Valley case is strong enough to have been awarded pathfinder status. But we also understand that there won't be a second round of pathfinder designations. This means that even if the pathfinders are an outstanding success, they will have still tackled less than half of the nation's low demand.

We have therefore joined forces with four other areas to campaign for a national policy on housing market renewal to be acknowledged in next year's comprehensive spending review. The five areas will be presented as examples of the different manifestations of low demand across the country. We will be seeking resource allocation to the regional housing boards for sub-regional distribution specifically for housing market renewal initiatives.

At the same time we will prepare a strategy for renewal in Tees Valley, coordinated by a team reporting to a partnership board representing the main sub-regional housing stakeholders. The strategy will identify a detailed implementation programme regardless of the funding regime.

We are, however, still very much at the centre of the campaign for a national policy and are not "going it alone".