The Conservative Party leader this week appointed Sir James Cleverly as her new shadow housing minister. He is said to be a shadow cabinet heavy-weight. If this means the Tories under Kemi Badenoch are taking the housing issue seriously his appointment is good news. It also means they are no longer running away from the … Continue reading Will they U-turn?

Good news. Planning minister Pennycook has (17 July) told the House of Lords built environment committee’s new towns inquiry the government will take forward sites for new towns put forward by the.New Towns Taskforce even if there is local opposition if the site proposal is in the national interest. It is clear the government is … Continue reading Defying local opposition

There is a revealing comment in this morning’s Financial Times about the Chancellor of the Exchequer ‘Pledges to reduce City red tape to the rest of the UK economy’ speech to the Mansion House audience which starkly highlights the passionate selfishness of those who oppose new homes for our children. ‘’Interested’ said that They raise … Continue reading FT Commentator

A useful review of government plans to grant mayors powers to build new homes by Chris Smyth, Whitehall Editor in The Times (Sunday 13 July 2025) has set me thinking afresh. How to get locals on board to support change near them . The context is the new English devolution bill published last week that … Continue reading Will Mayors break the log-jam?

There is a podcast series on BBC Sounds called Political Thinking led by the well respected BBC reporter Nick Robinson. Published tomorrow (5 July 2025) the BBC release a new podcast called The Keir Starmer’s Prime Minister One comprising a 45 minute conversation with the Prime Minister. As Sir Keir Starmer personally dominates the Labour … Continue reading Can Starmer meet the challenge?

Reading The Political Animal by Jeremy Paxman makes me wonder if the housing deficit in England can ever be overcome.The task, despite its domestic nature, needs levels of understanding and foresight that exceed the resources recent local history shows. . Paxman may be a cynic but cites valid points. Perhaps the most forthright and blunt … Continue reading Lost cause?