At Advantage, we’re proud to have provided structural warranties for a number of high value developments in Liverpool. We’ve also hosted construction-related networking events in the city in association with Downtown In Business, and have been supporting Merseyside homelessness charity, The Whitechapel Centre, with funds and donations. So it would be fair to say that we have plenty of ties to the city.

Also, as regular readers of our blog will know, we’re always keen to stay abreast of the latest housebuilding news. So we were pleased (but not entirely surprised) to read this week that Liverpool will begin building new council houses again for the first time in 30 years.

The BBC reported: The council is pressing ahead (with new council house building) after the government confirmed that a £735m debt, which was wiped out when the authority transferred its properties to housing associations, will not be reactivated.

Mayor Joe Anderson has pledged to build 10,000 houses, but did not specify how many would be council homes. The city needs to develop 30,000 new homes by 2030, the council said.

Councils have been able to borrow more to build homes since April after the government removed a cap on borrowing limits.

Housing minister Kit Malthouse wrote to Mr Anderson, saying he was “pleased to see the ambition and enthusiasm” of the city “in engaging with the urgent process of delivering the new homes”.

Mr Anderson said: “Liverpool pioneered public sector housing. I am extremely proud that, 150 years on from the city leading the way on social properties, we are now able to do so again.”

He said “affordable, social, properties are desperately needed” but “buying is not for everyone”.

“We need to rebalance the city’s housing market with a wider choice of the homes that people need,” he added.

Of course the challenge of creating more affordable housing is one which we’re seeing not just in Liverpool, but nationwide, with local and national government pledging to tackle the under-supply of affordable properties, and Advantage will continue to cover the latest affordable house building targets and objectives.

Related read: Plans are in place to build £150 million worth of new council housing in the North East.