Alastair McCapra

On Friday I hosted the first Civic Voice Roundtable with community groups on the NPPF consultation. With attendees from London, East of England, West Midlands, the North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, and also representatives from cities including Bristol, Hereford, Leeds, and Manchester it had a good mix from across the country. Many acknowledge that the housing crisis remains a significant issue, so any renewed focus on addressing this challenge is seen as a positive step. However, there’s a strong sentiment that these measures alone won’t be enough to fully resolve the crisis. In the main, people believe more direct intervention from the government is crucial, particularly in terms of funding house building directly through councils, but whether the Government can do this remains a question, so whether the housing affordability crisis can be addressed we will see. Anyway, a quick summary of what we discussed: Affordability and Housing Availability: People expressed concerns about the true affordability of housing and the need for clearer definitions on 'what is affordable'. Issues with substandard private rented housing were also highlighted, alongside the growing need for additional social housing, especially given past sell-offs. Regional Planning and Infrastructure: There was strong support for regional planning returning and the development of new towns, with a group in Hereford sharing feedback on an area they put forward to the council as a possible New Town. We also discussed the need for better collaboration between local authorities. Stimulating development in key areas like Manchester, Leeds and the North was supported, but we also noted the importance of addressing the many unimplemented planning approvals. Capacity and Workforce Challenges: There were concerns about whether we have the workforce capacity to meet our housing targets and the availability of planners and builders. I’m looking forward to hosting a further 5-6 roundtables throughout August and continuing to hear what different communities think of the reforms, but from the early conversations, it seems that the community groups that are part of Civic Voice's membership believe the reforms are a step in the right direction, but there’s a lot more work to be done. To join a Civic Voice session on the reforms, you need to be a member and to register via: https://lnkd.in/eyYWQF8n

16

Some great practical advice here from Gill Pipkin about bid writing. Well worth a read!

1

Congratulations to the District Councils' Network for 'Closer to Communities'. An excellent job by the DCN team to develop an ambitious agenda for the next UK Parliament. My take is this...over the next 5 years, alongside the many positive 'marginal gains' that make a difference, some 'big stuff' needs to happen and local government will need to play its part... We need to champion prevention...the development of preventative models of local public service delivery designed to fundamentally address the social determinants of health, embracing the power and voice of communities to envision a positive future for our places. We need to transform economics...and build new models that 'meet the needs of all within the means of the planet' to borrow a phrase! We have a very small window to deliver climate action within the carbon budgets available to us: we need rapid and immediate reductions in emissions...now, not in 2050! UN Sustainable Development Goals should be the galvanising framework for policy development and resource allocation everywhere. We need a new constitutional settlement...more internationalist and European in outlook (global challenges require collaboration and effective institutional architecture), and more local (the Council of Europe Charter of Local Self Government should be the starting point for a new settlement). We need to rediscover our passion for the basic framework that should be the standard for anyone operating in public service...and champion universal human rights, democracy, the separation of powers and the distribution of power, the rule of law and the ethical standards that define our shared values. It beggars belief that echoes of the darkest moments of our continents past once again begin to influence and shape its future. Some may say...that's a big agenda beyond the scope of local government! Nevertheless, these issues are fundamental to our ability to champion a positive future for the people and places we serve. And its up to all of us to champion the things that really matter. #localgovernment #leadership #climateaction

15

How can the new UK government boost the later living sector through planning policy? The new Labour government is looking to hit the ground running, with a series of policy announcements on manifesto promises expected over the coming days and weeks as ministers look to make their mark. Housing and social care were hot topics during campaigning, as was planning reform to deliver the growth the country needs. The headlines in terms of planning are clear but beneath them plenty of detail will need to follow. Somewhere in her bulging in-tray Angela Rayner will find the report from the Older People’s Housing Task force, completed earlier in the year but sensibly held-back from being published to avoid becoming lost in the white heat of the election. The report will no doubt elucidate the role later living development can and should play in addressing some key national priorities and the planning reforms that might help boost the sector. Importantly at a time when new spending will be highly constrained, promoting the role of the later living sector can achieve a lot without public money. Stantec’s later living team has given its own thoughts on how national and local planning policies and strategies can better support the sector, set out in the attached Blueprint. Credit in particular to James Donagh, leading expert on housing numbers including the need for later life housing. If you’re working in this part of the sector and want to discuss how we can work together and call for a renewed focus on later living under the new government, please get in touch. #laterliving #stantec #planning

42

7 Comments

My piece on Bologna as an inspiration for town centre regeneration finds its way to the pages of Building Design. In addition to the government's focus on brownfield regeneration, we need the kind of fiscal policy innovation being promoted by the #DontWasteBuildings campaign – equalising VAT on renovation and new-build, incentives linked to an enhanced Energy Performance Certificate system and so on. We need policies that compel institutional investors to make thousands of vacant properties fit for occupation. We do not need to be revolutionary to learn from Bologna, nicknamed La Dotta, La Grassa, La Rossa (The learned, The epicurean, The red). But how wonderful it would be to take a leaf of out the city’s playbook and implement a Homes England sponsored programme – a contemporary UK version of the Italian Città Vecchia, Nuova Società model? https://lnkd.in/eHnbbVVx

6