I am today announcing 61 schemes, involving 34 local authorities, that will ensure social rented homes meet minimum standards of decency, and boost provision of new social rented homes. These schemes should deliver over £3 billion of investment, of which around £1.8 billion will be levered in from the private sector. They will tackle over 125,000 non-decent homes, and create around 1,400 new social rented homes.

These new schemes will set up housing transfers, Arms Length Management Organisations or PFI projects.

Eleven schemes have been awarded places on the transfer programme. These schemes are in Aylesbury Vale, Chorley, Derwentside, Sefton, Selby, South Gloucestershire, Taunton Deane, Waveney, and Waverley, with partial transfers in Islington and Sheffield.

A further 33 schemes have had places on the transfer programme held open whilst the level of gap funding is agreed. These schemes are in Brent (South Kilburn), Cannock Chase, Hackney (Woodberry Down), Islington (Packington), Lambeth (Ashmole Estate and Bolney Meadow Estate), Lewisham (Excalibur TMO and Bankfoot and Bellingham), Liverpool, North Lincolnshire, Pendle, Rossendale, and Tower Hamlets (21 schemes).

Ten schemes have been awarded places on the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) programme. These schemes are in Doncaster, Gloucester, Hackney, Lambeth, Newham, Southend, South Tyneside, Stockport, Wear Valley, and Sheffield, where an existing ALMO will be extended. Schemes in Hackney, Southend and Wear Valley have yet to have their allocations finalised.

Together, the seven ALMOs with confirmed allocations will increase investment in council housing by £342 million in 2006–07 to 2007–08.

Seven schemes have been awarded places on the Housing PFI programme. Three of these—in Manchester, Oldham, and Lewisham—will focus on refurbishing or replacing non-decent homes. Four of the PFI schemes—in Guildford, Weymouth and Portland, Woking, and Medway—will focus on delivering new social rented units. We are making around £500 million in PFI credits available for these schemes.

These schemes mark our continuing commitment to ensuring that all social sector tenants have the decent homes that they deserve, and places the decent homes strategy firmly at the heart of the sustainable communities agenda.