Brent Council’s Post

Is Sadiq Khan too focused on implementing affordable housing ratios at the expense of overall delivery? Is Michael Gove justified in intervening in the London Plan? Or is his intervention, in Khan's words, merely a "cheap political stunt"? Much of this, of course, is politics in the run up to the General Election and the London Mayoral election in May. But on the ground, I'm hearing disgruntlement from developers about Khan's affordable housing ratios and how this is creating viability issues and slowing schemes, while there is also a huge deal of frustration about Gove's national housing and planning policies. Here Housing Today's Olivia B. explains how the mayor’s spatial development strategy become the centre of a spat between two political heavyweights in this year of multiple elections #housing 👇 https://lnkd.in/dCpMdEtg Housing Today's A Fair Deal for Housing campaign is calling for the next government to commission a review to identify how to increase affordable housing output to 100,000 homes a year. We believe government should consider reviewing existing funding for affordable housing, looking at grant rates, a longer-term rent settlement for social housing providers, a time-limited stimulus package to counteract the high cost of private funding and at mechanisms to lever in more institutional finance for ‘for-profit’ registered providers.https://https://lnkd.in/dNgEWGyA

#HousingCommunitySummit: Matthew Pennycook, Housing Minister, was called away on parliamentary business so could not attend, but he did record a video message. Little new in what he said, but he ran through the government's announcements this far. More must be done to build the capacity of housing associations and councils to build more homes. That's why looking at a long term rent settlement. The minister tells the audience he is looking forward to working in partnership with the sector to tackle the housing crisis. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government #ukhousing #socialhousing #housingcrisis

The housing industry has received notice that the City of Ottawa has released the draft 2024 DC By-law, which will be considered at the May 8 Planning and Housing Committee meeting. As per this proposed Fee Schedule, the City is proposing DC increases of approximately 28% inside the greenbelt and 23% outside the greenbelt, and higher increases in the rural area. While the provincial government had previously required municipalities to phase in a DC fee increase over a number of years - starting with a 20% discount in the first year - the recent Bill 185 proposes to remove this phase in. It is also unclear at this time what transition provisions will be provided by the City. Regardless of the ongoing affordability crunch on housing, the city wants to ensure it gets its pound of flesh. The proposed increases are attached.

Please find our latest summary and insights on NSW housing reforms.

The NSW Government has committed to delivering 75,000 dwellings per annum over 5 years. A lofty but necessary ambition. But how will we achieve this goal? Will the Federal Government’s financial incentive measures move the dial? Will the State’s multi-levered policy approach suffice? We applaud the NSW Government's initial efforts to deliver a diverse range of housing types. But is this multi-layered reform just creating a tangled web of housing policy? We have some thoughts. Read here: https://lnkd.in/eH-KQSV9 or contact one of our NSW housing experts listed below to discuss. Stephen White Sophy Purton Stewart Doran Ashleigh Ryan #housingcrisis #affordablehousing #housingpolicy

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁? The NSW Government is taking the lead on exposing the performance of Local Councils on planning approvals. Yet other states seem to think this isn't necessary. Local Councils are a protected species. They are not held to meaningful KPIs on approvals, and they can't really be taken to task for failure to perform, particularly on applications which can't easily be appealed to a court. This means performance can vary wildly. The planning system can deliver approvals in short timeframes through a well-run and resourced Council, but the same system can have simple applications flounder for years in other Council areas. ⌚That's why transparency on approval timeframes is so important. Not just on DAs or Planning Permits, but on every type of permit application needed as part of the housing #development system. “𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵.” Councils which perform well should be acknowledged and incentivised by the States, and those that do not need to be taken to task, including having their planning powers taken away. Moreover, scorecards should include the performance of public authorities too. No, it's not always the Council's fault; some applications are also deficient. But a good system should pick such applications up early, not wait to the end of prescribed periods to realise. 🤔If we want to fix the planning system, transparent measurement and public accountability for those who make decisions on approvals is a must. #housingsupply #housingtargets #housingaccord #affordability #planningreform #kpis Business Council of Australia UDIA National Property Council of Australia Abundant Housing Network Australia

Previous government interventions have created 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬' 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 £𝟐.𝟐𝐛𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟖. In turn, this has created a council housing crisis. Labour could turn this around by establishing a new financial deal that encourages investment in council homes. Additionally, removing red tape on the Affordable Housing Programme would simplify the funding process, allowing progress to happen more quickly. #AffordableHousing #SocialHousing #HousingPolicy

📢 Breaking news! According to The Big Issue, renters in London must earn over £75,000 to afford the high cost of living. As the housing market continues to challenge individuals and families, it's crucial for policymakers to address this issue. The need for affordable housing is more pressing than ever. Let's advocate for solutions that help all Londoners find housing that fits their budget. #LondonHousingCrisis #AffordableLiving #TheBigIssue https://ift.tt/ctrN9oZ

In a decade, Washington, D.C. has invested more than $1.5 Billion in affordable housing leading to over 15,000 units completed. This statistics is according to a report titled “Protecting Affordable Housing” delivered by Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Monday, September 30. According to the report, 13.9% of DC residents now living in District-supported affordable housing, a marked increase from 9.8% in 2015 as a result of the investment and new housing units. This report also shows that average rents in DC have increased at half the national average since 2019, despite these challenges. Read more

🏘 Four Suffolk councils have joined forces with more than 100 others in England to call for the new government to save council homes 📍 Today, at an event held in Westminster, an unprecedented cross-party coalition of over 100 council landlords will jointly publish five solutions for the government to ‘secure the future of England’s council housing’ ✅The coalition, including our councils, East Suffolk Council and Ipswich Borough Council, warn that England’s council housing system is broken and that urgent action is needed for the government to deliver its housing promises 📰 Find the full story via the link in the comments #SaveCouncilHousing