Homes England has signed a long-term joint venture with Countryside Properties, part of Vistry Group plc to leverage the investments made by them to accelerate the development of large sites across England.
The venture, Hestia, is backed by a combined £150 million of capital investment by Homes England and Vistry. It will focus on the delivery of high-quality, mixed-tenure communities at pace and scale, which will contribute towards the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament.

The prime minister has announced new cabinet appointments after deputy PM and housing minister resigned last week. The resignation came after it was revealed she didn't pay enough tax on a flat in Hove.
David Lammy has been appointed deputy prime minister, Lord Chancellor and secretary of state for justice. Yvette Cooper has taken on the role of foreign secretary, while Shabana Mahmood replaces her as home secretary.

The Government's Floods Resilience Taskforce will meet on Monday 8 September, promising increased flood protection across the country.
The fourth meeting of the group will discuss and prepare for possible flooding over the coming winter and reflect on the challenges and achievements of the last 12 months.
Over the last winter storm period, around 167,000 properties were protected from flooding by Environment Agency assets.

The defence secretary has launched a new Defence Industrial Strategy.
It is hoped the new strategy will provide jobs and boost the economy.
The new strategy will create highly skilled engineering positions and apprenticeships for young people across the country.
Defence Secretary John Healey launched the strategy on a visit to defence technology firm Rowden, in Bristol. The veteran-founded firm produces critical sensing and decision-making capabilities for the Armed Forces.

The Scottish Government has published the Housing Emergency Action Plan to tackle the housing crisis.
The plan focuses on three key areas: stopping children living in unsuitable accommodation; supporting the housing needs of vulnerable groups and supporting growth and investment in the housing sector.

The government has announced £4 million of funding to enable access to arts and culture.
Through the joint DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, the public will have increased access to regional museums and galleries.
The money will support to local people by improving displays, enhancing collections care and making exhibitions more accessible to visitors.
Over the last 20 years, more than 440 projects have benefitted from over £50 million in funding.

The Scottish Government is launching a consultation on potential measures to simplify planning processes and encourage the provision of new homes in rural areas and town and city centres.
Permitted development rights could be changed to make some small-scale residential developments easier, which would reduce costs and administrative burdens for developers.
Other changes could make it easier to install domestic air source heat pumps and to connect buildings to heat networks.

The Chancellor has confirmed that the budget will be delivered on Wednesday 26 November.
Making the announcement in a video message, Rachel Reeves highlighted what the government has done since they came to power, including raising the minimum wage for three million people, cutting NHS waiting lists, allocating billions for infrastructure and changing planning rules to build new homes.
She said: "Cost of living pressures are still real.

Homes England has signed a Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) to catalyse the delivery of the region’s housing and regeneration goals.
The partnership formalises the alignment of YNYCA’s strategic priorities with the broad range of Homes England’s tools, including funding, capacity and expertise.
Teams from YNYCA and Homes England will now work together to unlock significant housing and regeneration plans in the area.