On Tuesday, 27 January 2026 the MHCLG issued a press release headed Housing Secretary rallies sector at housing and infrastructure roundtables making plain the Housing Secretary’s concern, saying
“….the Housing sec stressed that while recovery is underway, government and industry alike cannot afford to let a generation down and must rise to the challenge together. Looking with optimism to what 2026 can bring for the sector, he urged everyone to meet the government’s level of urgency and ambition”.
The release goes on to say these new initiatives come as the government now enters the next phase of sweeping pro-growth and pro-supply reforms.which started in December 2024. Revealingly the release also lists the industry attendees; and by omission identifies the key players the government believes do not matter in their quest for growth and new supply.
For example no political leaders from the Conservatives, the LibDems, the Greens or Reform UK were at the round tables. Why not? It seems reasonable to assume these four opposition parties are also pro-growth and pro-supply? With three and a half years to go before the 2029 general election, how does this transitory Labour administration expect to be taken seriously, regardless of the merits of their new ideas, by investors, by trader builders or developers, or indeed local pressure groups who have a different view about growth and supply in their neighbourhood?
We already know the Conservatives are concerned about changes that reduce local influence.They call it the democratic deficit. They have a point. Although others may use different labels. I do not know if the other three opposition parties have each adopted a policy on new housing growth and new infrastructure. If not, they are negligent as the nation’s future prosperity is heavily dependant on growth. I hope they were invited? And as they were absent, each opposition party will now be asked to say if they will support the government, with reasons. Their input is essential as this government alone cannot deliver. In which case those in power will by their absence condemn another generation to another decade of stasis: precisely what the government wants to avoid.
One more point, please. Welcome though these round tables are viewing the names what seems obvious that many, perhaps not all have their own commercial interests to protect first and foremost. Many leaders invited first priority will be to protect the value of their existing land banks. But this obvious concern is not mentioned. Had it been, the government would have heard why their plans to accept the principle of land acquisition at below open market value when hope value exists is an existential cause for war in a large part of the property industry.
A government cannot have it both ways, anymore than you or me. Treat landowners as the victims of policy imperatives sometimes, and appealing to their sense of social responsibility too, is well, daft. Humanity is not like this in the real world I know.
Here is my guest list for the next roundtable
Conservative housing policy shadow minister/ LibDems/Greens/ReformUK shadows
Crown estate/ several other successful landed estates
Long term real estate investors:: viz L&G/Prud/etc + overseas equivalents
Local successful SME builders
Retired CNT staff + equivalent new towns staff
Strategic planning consultants + masterplanners
More Peabody and Urban and Civic
These attendees, without land banks, and open statements of their conflicts of interest will be able to explain to this well meaning but naive administration that because our housing supply system is broken the remedy needs two distinct steps. Step one is to win the support of local vested interests and lobby groups by showing their commercial best interests will not be adversely affected by the government changes. See earlier blogs to know how. And step two that once the impact of hope value on land value is nil, due to new land supply policies, it will be possible to mend the broken supply and do so with local support and in Westminster with cross-party support. Again, see earlier blogs to see how.
Ian Campbell
28 January 2026
