Intelligence/

A new partnership to help speed up the delivery of the Capital's £3 billion house building programme was announced today by Housing Minister Caroline Flint and the London Mayor Ken Livingstone.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the Mayor and the Government are joining forces to establish the London HCA Board, a local sub-committee of the HCA responsible for helping to deliver affordable housing in London and the South East.

The new Board will be responsible for meeting the Government's and the Mayor's objectives to:

• deliver a significant increase in the total number of homes in a way that is environmentally sustainable;
• significantly increase the number of affordable, family-sized homes; and
• create communities in which people want to live by targeting and regenerating the most deprived areas of London.

The Board will be chaired by the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, and have HCA chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake sitting as vice-chairman.