In his monthly column in The MJ, Localis chief executive Alex Thomson discusses Localis’ conference season goings-on and the cross-party support for devolution in the UK.
After chairing the event, Isabel Hardman reports from Localis’ fringe event at Liberal Democrat Party Conference.
Localis were at all three major party conferences, featuring events with Secretaries of State, Ministers and Shadow Ministers
Speaking at a Localis fringe event at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference, Vince Cable said families in Surrey would rather have homes than golf courses.
Speaking at a Localis fringe event at Conservative Party Conference 2014, Duncan Bonfield of Land Securities said the developer were “struggling” to make the Ebbsfleet garden city development viable.
Ed Miliband has announced plans for new council-led corporations to boost housebuilding. The Labour leader, speaking at the beginning of the party’s annual conference in Manchester, announced under a Labour government councils would set up New Homes Corporations as part of plans to increase housebuilding to 200,000 homes a year by 2020.
Councils will redevelop 13.5bn of assets by 2020, signalling a move away from selling off buildings and land, a new report reveals.
One in six councils have been forced to dispose of public assets ?for less than optimal value?, according to a Localis report.
The whole housing sector should consider using off-site construction to increase the pace of house building, Brandon Lewis has said.
Public assets worth 13.5bn are set to be redeveloped in the next five years, according to think tank Localis.