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Certified organic: Are garden cities the localist answer to the housing crisis?

Author: Localis   |  

‘Certified Organic: Are garden cities the localist answer to the housing crisis?’
Crowne Plaza hotel, Glasgow, Tuesday 7th October, 13:00

Held in partnership with Land Securities

This panel speaking event discussed the localist approach to solving the UK’s housing crisis, and if the garden city movement could fulfil this role. With speakers:

· Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

· Caroline Pidgeon MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrats London Assembly Group

· Cllr Keith House, Leader of Eastleigh Borough Council

· Duncan Bonfield, Land Securities

The event was chaired by Isabel Hardman, Assistant Editor at The Spectator and columnist at The Telegraph.

Some of the Twitter coverage of the debate, using #Localishousing, included:

· “Conservative rural lobby “loathes social housing” – will “bitterly resist” Garden cities @vincecable #localishousing” (@BBCPeterH)

· “#localishousing @vincecable strong on land auctions to deliver cheap sites such as Garden Cities” (@SWSLibDems)

· “Golf courses in Surrey must be built on Vince cable tells #localishousing Families would rather have a home with a garden than a fairway” (@BBCPeterH)

The event was reported widely in the national media:

  • The Telegraph reported that “Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, said most families would rather have a garden outside their front door than protected greenbelt miles away from their home.”
  • The Daily Mail reported that “Vince Cable said people would be in favour of building over golf courses to help solve the housing crisis.”
  • While the event’s chair, Isabel Hardman of The Spectator, wrote the event up in The Spectator’s Coffee House blog, writing that “What did become clear from the fringe, perhaps surprisingly for the Lib Dems listening, was that Cable clearly finds it much easier to work with George Osborne than he does with other Cabinet Ministers such as Eric Pickles.”

More details about Localis’ 2014 fringe events can be found here.