Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is paying attention to the housing deficit and its consequences, and this is welcome news. Whilst it is a start, for Labour to becomes the catalyst of housing change they too, like the Conservatives have fierce ideologies defects to remedy. To progress, as Starmer intends, these must be faced and overcome. Two recent unpublished letters I wrote to the Editor of the Times, illustrate the challenges Labour faces.
letter sent 15 May 2023
Dear Sir,
Local Ealing boy and writer Will Lloyd is disappointed by Rupa Huq MP’s opposition (15 May 2023 article) to new high rise homes in his home town. Housing is a wicked issue for Labour too.
About ten years ago Reading’s controlling Labour group, facing local elections adopted an academic essay prize ( entry) looking at the merits of a new community between Reading and Basingstoke promoting it as a nightmare, simply to persuade local residents of the threat posed by a non-existent developer. The benefits were ignored. A public meeting was followed by a petition to the competition organisers.
Needless to say the writer was a little surprised. I wrote it.
The only way to build the homes we need is for every area to adopt long term, generationally based consensus policies with their neighbours, led and masterplanned by local leaders. Winning local support for this approach is not yet on the agenda of the main parties. The impact on national growth and productivity over 10/20 years will be significant. It cannot be done without local support. That will need years of local dialogue. With shrewd local leadership the outcome can be premium places for all the community.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This letter is not linked to a second, below also sent to the Editor, of today’s date
Letter sent to the Editor
Dear Sir,
Encouraging that Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to make Labour the party of house building in an interview with your Political Editor Steven Swinford. But they, like the Conservatives will fail again. Labour must first have a plan to overcome two obstacles. Lots of new homes cannot be built without local support. How will Labour achieve this outcome? Winning local support will take years and needs cross-party consensus on the ground.
Second, Labour must learn to work with, not fight speculators who control much of the of the next generation of potential housing land. And this cannot be done if land speculators and their land owners partners expect to be deprived of the massive windfall profits change of land use releases. With their army of highly paid consultants they will block Labour’s hopes until there is another government in place.
Creating premium places, where people want to go or live, of which local residents can be proud must be led by land owning local councils with generational housing supply policies. Sir Keir Starmer is at risk of delivering another decade of housing stasis. That will be a tragedy for the next generation and bad news for economic growth in England.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remedying the housing deficit in England is beyond the ability of today’s Conservative party, drifting to the right and unable to see when the public sector can add value. Labour has this capability, but fails to see the power of vested land interests intent on blocking change or the deep rooted opposition of local residents to change. Both parties must stop their activists seeking to sow discord between one party and the other, locally and nationally, and prioritise the objective: lots more homes with local support, creating popular places liked so much premium values emerge. Poundry, near Dorchester is one successful example. New homes there sell for 30% more than those in Dorchester. Well done the Crown Estate. Any other examples? Change in rural or urban areas can be for the better. Few people believe it is true. It is this negative mind-set that must be changed.
Ian Campbell
17 May 2023
