HCA appoints head of Lancashire & Cumbria

Stuart Sage has been appointed head of area for the Homes & Communities Agency with immediate effect.

Sage was senior area manager for the HCA for the past six years, and worked on the Preston, South Ribble & Lancashire City Deal which was agreed with the Government in September 2013.

He replaces Marie Hodgson, who became the HCA's head of area for Greater Manchester at the end of last year. Hodgson took over the Greater Manchester patch from David Chilton, who left to become development director at Rowlinson Construction.

Last year also saw a change in leadership in the Cheshire & Warrington patch, as Duncan Inglis, founder of Liverpool consultancy Inner City Solutions, replaced Neil Pickering as head of area when Picking left to join CRE8 Management.

Sage said: "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with our partners in Lancashire and Cumbria at a more senior level. I am looking forward to helping them to access the support that they need from the HCA, enabling them to deliver homes and growth in the area."

The HCA is the single, national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England, and is the regulator of social housing providers.