Housing associations, local councils and the Combined Authority in Tees Valley have created the Tees Valley Housing Partnership (TVHP) to step up the delivery of affordable homes across the region.

The partnership intends to combine members' expertise, attract funding and investment, and improve outcomes for residents.

Together, its 14 members provide more than 52,000 homes in Tees Valley, accounting for around 18% of the area's housing stock.

The launch comes amid rising demand, with approximately 13,000 households on social housing waiting lists across the area.

Matt Forrest, chair of the TVHP, said: "Recent long-term funding commitments from government give us a once in a generation opportunity to ramp up the delivery of much-needed quality new homes over the next decade.

"Our members already have plans to deliver 3,500 new homes in the next five years. But we want to do more. We’re seeing new build homes attract up to 200 applications each and we want to close the gap between supply and demand as quickly as possible.

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"The best way to achieve that is by working together. One of our first pieces of work will be to produce a shared strategic pipeline of housing projects to make sure we build the right homes in the right places."

Alongside increasing affordable housing, the TVHP will prioritise improving health outcomes and supporting inclusive economic growth.

James Walder, vice-chair of the TVHP, said: "Tees Valley suffers from some of the worst health inequalities in the country. In some areas, the gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived neighbourhoods is more than 17 years.

"We're looking to join up the delivery of housing, care and support services for older people and residents with complex needs and work closely with local authorities to tackle homelessness and the over reliance on temporary accommodation.

"We're also well-placed to support the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s plans to drive inclusive economic growth that benefits all, tackles inequality, and creates opportunities for everyone in our region."

The TVHP's housing association members are Accent, Bernicia, Beyond Housing, Home Group, Karbon Homes, North Star Housing Group, Railway Housing Association and Thirteen Group.

Its geography matches that of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which is also a member, alongside Darlington Borough Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.

The partnership will work closely with Homes England and partners including the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board.