Over 100 councils have joined the third phase of the One Public Estate programme, which is also set to receive a further £31m from the Government.

The programme, which is run by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Cabinet Office, enables local councils and other public sector organisations to share buildings and services, reduce running costs, and release land to boost development.

Since it was launched in 2013, One Public Estate has seen 32 councils develop initiatives projected to deliver £129m in property sales, create 20,000 new jobs, and build 9,000 new homes.

It is also predicted to save the public sector £77m in running costs over five years.

LGA chairman, Lord Porter, said:

'Councils are already the most efficient part of the public sector, and they have reaped impressive rewards for their communities through their leadership on the programme, unlocking land to create vital homes and jobs, helping services to work better together, and bringing in money while generating savings for the future.'

He continued: 'The investment announced in the Budget and the expansion of the programme will help to roll out those benefits to even more areas across the country. I'd like to see all councils signed up by 2018 to drive growth in their areas through the strong local leadership that we've already seen in the early phases of the programme.'

Chief executive of Liverpool City Council, Ged Fitzgerald, praises the One Public Estate programme and welcomes the new phase three funding.

'By working across sectors and the region,' he said, 'it will allow us to deliver the big growth and service integration schemes that will have the biggest impact for the people of the city region'