Pictured above: Peter Latchford

A stakeholder perception survey has praised government regeneration agency Urban Living for performing well and 'making a difference' to the area.

Performance in community cohesion and employment/training were considered 'exemplary' by many, according to the independent survey of 29 senior level public and private sector stakeholders conducted by RegenWM, the regional regeneration centre for excellence.

Feedback on performance, communications and the future of the area showed that Urban Living has become a highly performing organisation since it was last surveyed two years ago, particularly strong in stakeholder and community relations.

Programme delivery is also 'good' with report saying that 'Urban Living has the drive and creativity to progress projects that would not have otherwise been realised.'

Indeed, stakeholders called for the development of more successful schemes such as Crocodile Works in Newtown, which has the potential to restructure the housing market.

At the same time, stakeholders recognised the scale of Urban Living's challenge over the wide geographical area and the long history of area intervention required to address the needs.

Against a challenging funding and policy context, the debate for the future is a key issue for stakeholders.

Recognising Urban Living's strengths in tackling housing and its ability to focus on local projects, they identified the ongoing need to tackle deprivation, jobs, skills and enterprise, and that maintaining progress is critical at this time.

Although no single conclusion is drawn, the survey suggests that the area should remain a priority.

Urban Living chairman Peter Latchford, said: "Birmingham and Sandwell Councils have been key to Urban Living's success as a partnership.

"On top of our achievements to-date, we have created the potential to deliver at least 2,500 homes and have almost 50 hectares of land ready for redevelopment.

"The work is therefore far from being complete and we're working with our partners and the Homes and Communities Agency to ensure that we do not lose the gains of recent years. Instead, we clearly need to focus on finding ways to continue to deliver benefits to our residents."