Councils are to take the driving seat in developing their surplus sites as a scheme put forward in the housing green paper gets underway. The first 14 local authorities have now signed up to establish local housing companies (LHCs), as partnerships with developers and/or RSLs to deliver schemes of up to 1,000 homes, including at least 50% affordable housing for key workers and first time buyers. Currently, once local authorities sell off surplus land to the private sector, they have little influence over how it will be used, said housing minister Yvette Cooper. <br><br>“We need a stronger role for local authorities in promoting regeneration and local partnerships that reflect local circumstances,”she said. LHCs give local authorities an opportunity to take a more proactive approach to their land by maintaining a stake in sites through the process of leading on the development plan, rather than simply selling land off, and offering low cost housing directly through shared equity deals. In return for the land, private sector partners will be expected to deliver the construction skills and market know-how. <br><br>The initiative has met its sceptics, with some in the industry claiming it will be too much of a cultural change for councils …