House-building tsar named by West Midlands supercouncil
THE West Midlands Combined Authority has appointed a director to spearhead the growth of new housing and commercial development in the region.
Gareth Bradford has joined the regional authority as its director of housing and regeneration from the Department for Communities and Local Government in London.
He will oversee implementation of the authority’s plans to increase the supply of land for housing and employment to help meet growth levels. Mr Bradford has worked in government since 2010 where his roles have included a secondment with the No. 10 policy unit as an adviser on themes such as affordable housing, land, small businesses, regeneration, build to rent and right to buy.
His current role is as deputy director responsible for a crossWhitehall division for regeneration and infrastructure, leading bespoke housing and regeneration deals in growth areas.
Previously, he was a senior planning officer and team leader at Devon County Council which he joined on graduation from Cardiff University. This is the latest senior appointment to the authority by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, and follows chief executive Deborah Cadman and Anne Shaw as director of network resilience.
Mr Bradford said: “I am delighted to be joining Andy, Deborah and the rest of the team at what is an exciting time for the West Midlands.
“This region has a large and everincreasing population which needs to be properly housed.
“We need to attract new investment into housing and regeneration and make more land available for businesses setting up in the region, bringing high-quality jobs and homes for local people. I’m looking forward to helping the authority tackle the challenges that await in delivering what this region needs to transform the lives of the people who live and work here.”
Ms Cadman added: “I am delighted to welcome Gareth to the authority at what is a key time as we grow and focus on improving the lives of people in the West Midlands.
“Housing and regeneration are key in this and Gareth’s incredibly strong background in these areas will be of huge benefit as we move forwards.”