Labour conference roundtable | On the house: can public-private partnerships offer something for nothing?

Author: Kulvir Channa   |  

Labour conference roundtable | On the house: can public-private partnerships offer something for nothing?

In conjunction with regeneration specialist Willmott Dixon, Localis will be hosting a private round table discussion on public-private partnerships at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

England faces a multi-faceted crisis in housing supply. Not enough affordable homes to buy, privately rent or socially rent are being built. And much of the existing stock fails to meet the requirements of its occupants. One of the ways to address these issues that has been pursued by councils, developers and other partners – and is of growing interest to central government as they grapple with the magnitude of the housing crisis – is the facilitation of residential development led regeneration by public-private partnerships. In an age of austerity, ever increasing financial independence from central government and increasingly strict government policy on local authority housebuilding, this process can bring an innovative way to build much-needed affordable homes as well as providing valuable long-term revenue streams to local authorities as development partners.

Bringing together senior figures from central and local government and other relevant stakeholders, this roundtable will consider what role public-private partnerships can play in future regeneration schemes and in helping to solve England’s housing crisis. Discussion will be structured around the following questions:

  • In their pursuit of building more affordable homes, should local authorities look to their existing capital asset base for best value? Could new developments pay for themselves?
  • In regeneration schemes how can ‘optimal’ land use be achieved while retaining social fabric?
  • What are the key drivers around the future use of public land by local authorities?

This event will be held at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday 27th September. If you would be interested in hearing more about this event, please contact kulvir.channa@localis.org.uk.