When writing the last blog just two days go, Wokingham Council: how to fail your community (23 November 2024) I had not seen two new, important and encouraging pieces of evidence. For the first time since the election there is reason to hope this government and its advisers are on the right lines: seeking and building a local governance framework at the correct scale with appropriate powers and accountability to deliver the homes, infrastructure and economic growth the nation’s future needs. . New proposals may emerge in 2025.
In The Times (24 November 2024) their Political Reporter, Max Kendix, says “Dozens of councils will be abolished in the biggest overhaul of local government in more that 50 years under plans being drawn up by ministers”. He adds “District councils are also seen as blockers to growth by regularly rejecting housing developments”. The Government’s aim is to introduce unitary authorities on a wider basis, each with a population of at least 500,000 people. The local government minister Jim McMahon, with the support of Pete Williams, director of local government and devolution at 10 Downing Street are leading the initiative. Bearing in mind the everlasting inability of today’s generation of local civic leaders to see ahead, as noted in the earlier blog, (often justified as local democracy, but in reality an enduring dopiness at best, or crass uncomprehending sightlessness at worst), their replacement may be the only way out of the economic hole into which they have put the nation.
Of equal importance are the ad hoc, closing remarks made by Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning at the MHCLG when he, and Joanna Key, director general for Regeneration, Housing, and Planning at MHCLG, were witnesses in front of the House of Commons ( Hansard Parliamentlive.tv. Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee) , examining the government’s plans for 1.5 million new homes, (Wednesday, 20 November 2024). Referring to an email sent by the Chief Executive of Homes England with his resignation questioning the government’s housing target the Minister said next year they will set out a long term housing policy which takes a longer view. It is an important step. He acknowledged this policy may need ‘multiple parliaments’. Of course Pennycook is absolutely right. Destroying the land supply system has taken several decades of ideological guile. Re-building it, and in the process making homes once again affordable, enabling economic growth and delivering these spatial changes with local support will take most of another generation. And it cannot happen without cross party support in Westminster and locally. Strategic housing land delivery is killed by policy U-turns.
We can speculate about the timing of the new policy announcements, local government re-organisation and the arrival of a go-over parliamentary housing strategy. If the New Towns Taskforce recommendations are to be delivered with any chance of surviving the onslaught of negative media exposure next summer these two policies need to be on the same platform. They say you know when you know. If you do not know, you do not know. If you do know, then you know you know. For the first time I know I see an answer. Can these teams deliver? Will they win a say-so from Kemi Badenoch? Now that would be a consummation. At last are we nearing a tipping point?
Ian Campbell
25 November 2024
