A paper examined the impact of different types of supply constraints on house prices in England, drawing on a panel dataset of 353 local planning authorities from 1974 to 2008.
Source: Christian Hilber and Wouter Vermeulen, The Impact of Supply Constraints on House Prices in England, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Sep
A paper examined proposals, suggested by the United Kingdom Labour Party, to reduce rental costs and improve tenant security through the introduction of rent controls. It said that introducing controls would not improve affordability, but would lead to higher initial rents, a misallocation of housing, and a reduction in the supply of homes to rent. The report argued that security of tenure was not a major consideration for the majority of groups who rented in the private sector, and called for the stimulation of the supply of rental properties through the liberalization of planning laws, arguing that this would then reduce the cost of rent.
Source: Ryan Bourne, The Flaws in Rent Ceilings, Discussion Paper 55, Institute of Economic Affairs
Links: Paper | IEA press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A paper said that a range of obstacles prevented brownfield sites (sites on which there had been previous development) from being used for residential development, including issues such as land ownership, site preparation costs (particularly for contaminated land), and national and local planning policy. The paper suggested four policy mechanisms to increase use of brownfield land: the taxation (through council tax) of uncompleted housing for which planning permission had been granted; funding and assistance for brownfield remediation; special planning measures and state intervention to aid in delivering brownfield sites; and the use of tax increment financing to fund development on brownfield land.
Source: Removing Obstacles to Brownfield Development: How Government can work with communities to facilitate the re-use of previously developed land, Campaign to Protect Rural England
Links: Paper | CPRE press release
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined changes in local authority negotiations with developers regarding Section 106 of the English 1990 Town and Country Planning Act (which gave powers to require developers to contribute towards affordable housing provision) during the economic downturn in England. The article was part of a journal special issue on inclusionary planning from an international perspective.
Source: Nicky Morrison and Gemma Burgess, 'Inclusionary housing policy in England: the impact of the downturn on the delivery of affordable housing through Section 106', Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, Volume 29 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
A report said that the long term rise in housing benefit spending was due to housing and labour market restructuring as well as increased rent levels, and that reducing the trend in spending would require changes in the labour market, housing, and regional policy. It said that this would require measures such as: a substantial increase in the supply of low-rent social rented homes; changes in funding rules, including the use of receipts from right to buy sales to replace homes on a one-for-one basis; incentivizing rent restraint by linking universal credit for private sector tenants to a proportion of the rent (articulated in the report with some related conditions); the repeal of the under-occupation deduction from housing benefit (commonly referred to as the 'bedroom tax'); employer incentives for a living wage; and investment in infrastructure and skills outside of the south east of England (to stimulate economic growth and reduce unemployment).
Source: Ticking the Box... for a Welfare System that Works, Chartered Institute of Housing
Links: Report | CIH press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A think-tank report examined the possibilities for the disposal and use of public land to support economic growth, increase the housing supply, and provide a catalyst for the reform of local public services.
Source: Alex Thomson and Peter Wilkes, Public Land, Public Good: Getting maximum value from public land and property, Localis
Links: Report | Localis press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A report said that that housing was a critical business issue in the United Kingdom that required a long-term plan that was both ambitious and credible. It said that house price inflation and increased commuting costs had removed £4 billion a year from consumer budgets, and that the number of new homes needed to double within a decade. The report outlined the perceived issues within the housing market, and how the future UK government might address them, with a view to consulting with the business sector and producing final policy recommendations later in 2014.
Source: Housing Britain: Building new homes for growth, Confederation of British Industry
Links: Report | CBI press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Sep
The government announced the launch of a £400 million programme of low-cost loans to housing associations and other providers to fund the building of new homes from 2015 to 2018, with half of the fund being made available for building within London. The providers would be required to make the homes available for rent at below-market rates while the loans were being repaid, and for a minimum of seven years. At the end of a fixed period, the tenant would be given first refusal to buy the property. The prospectus for providers was launched alongside the press release.
Source: Eric Pickles, New 'Rent to Buy' scheme to help young people save and move up housing ladder, Press release 26 September 2014, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: DCLG press release | Related papers | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Sep
A report said that the delivery of affordable housing had changed since the 1980s, with local authorities, arms length management organizations, housing associations, and housebuilders/developers having adapted to change in the housing sector by developing greater cross-sector co-operation (referred to as a 'coalescence'). The report concluded that a new mechanism was now needed for future joint ventures, which it suggested might be based on a facilitating model to be known as Housing Delivery Partnerships.
Source: Ian Doolittle and Tonia Secker, The Future of Affordable Housing: Common ground or turf war? A report on changing working relationships, Trowers and Hamlins
Links: Report | Trowers and Hamlins press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Sep
The government began consultation on proposals to create a new urban development corporation to develop plans for a new garden city at Ebbsfleet, Kent, as announced in the 2014 Budget. The consultation asked for views on matters including the creation of the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, the area in which it would operate, its planning powers, and the composition of its board. The consultation would close on 6 October 2014.
Source: Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Consultation document | Map | Impact assessment | DCLG press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Aug
A report outlined proposals for a new garden city in south east England. Prepared as a submission for the Wolfson Economics Prize 2014, it proposed for Stoke Harbour Garden City to be built on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent. As proposed, it said the city could be built in 15 years, would house 30-40,000 people, and would have the capacity to grow to a population of over 100,000.
Source: Toby Lloyd, Arthur Hook, Pete Jefferys, Rachel Lund, Adam Terry, Chris Wilford, Andy von Bradsky, Luan Deda, Elizabeth Vourdas, Zorana Halpin, Rachel Day, John Bibby, Najim Marufi, and Debbie Willetts, Wolfson Economics Prize MMXIV: How would you deliver a new garden city which is visionary, economically viable, and popular?, Shelter
Links: Report | Summary | Policy Exchange press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A report said that house prices, low wages, seasonal rental and jobs markets, high levels of second home ownership, and an ageing population were contributing to a housing crisis and putting pressure on local services in rural areas of England. It outlined a range of recommendations, including for clear local plans, increasing requirements for affordable housing development, and better/more use of public and undeveloped land.
Source: Rural Housing: Countryside in crisis, National Housing Federation
Links: Report | NHF press release
Date: 2014-Jul
A think-tank report examined the relationship between developers or house builders and local authorities, and the impact of planning issues on local housing supply.
Source: Andrew Heywood, Housing and Planning: What makes the difference? A Smith Institute survey and discussion paper on the relationship between councils and house builders, Smith Institute
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jul
A think-tank report said that using surplus National Health Service land for supported housing offered better value for money than selling it for private development. It said that the National Health Service could make indicative savings of around £6 billion (over a 25 year period) by using surplus land in this way, and that increasing supported housing offered scope to reduce delayed hospital discharges which currently cost around £200 million per year.
Source: NHS Surplus Land for Supported Housing: Why now and what are the possible cost savings?, Smith Institute
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jul
The Northern Ireland Executive began consultation on a proposed system of developer contributions for affordable housing in Northern Ireland. The proposals would require planning authorities to seek contributions from developers for affordable housing, as a proportion of all newly-proposed housing developments above a threshold number of dwellings. The consultation was published alongside a related draft planning policy and consultations on both documents would close on 26 August 2014.
Source: Developer Contributions for Affordable Housing: Public consultation, Northern Ireland Executive
Links: Consultation document | NIE press release | Inside Housing report
Source: Draft Planning Policy Statement 22: Affordable housing, Northern Ireland Executive
Links: Consultation document | NIE press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jun
A think-tank report said that it was necessary to rebalance housing subsidies in order to increase housing supply and reduce the housing benefit bill, and that this would require institutional reforms to connect housing supply, local housing markets, and the drivers of benefit spending in particular parts of the country. The report outlined a phased plan to provide powers and incentives to make the shift from 'benefits to bricks', including: the sharing between local authorities and the Treasury of the proceeds of local action to reduce housing benefit spending relative to forecasted costs; to allow local authorities to redraw their broad rental market areas and revert to direct payment of landlords, retaining a share of any savings locally; to devolve housing capital budgets to combined authorities, and give them greater control over setting levels of social rent; and for a multiyear Affordable Housing Fund, to fund building and rent subsidy.
Source: Graeme Cooke and Bill Davies, Benefits to Bricks: Mobilising local leadership to build homes and control the benefits bill, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jun
A think-tank report said that a new municipal investment corporation, linked to a proposed British investment bank to be jointly owned by central and local government, could increase house building and support sustainable urban extension. Drawing on case studies from across Europe, it argued that the new model would have the potential to facilitate a longer-term perspective, de-risk complex projects, target investment, cross geographical boundaries (such as in joining up public investments in local transport with related developments, or encouraging collaboration between adjoining local authorities and utilities), avoid political swings, and raise levels of growth and well-being to those of comparable European cities.
Source: Nicholas Falk, Funding Housing and Local Growth: How a British investment bank can help, Smith Institute
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jun
A think-tank report said that it was necessary to rebalance housing subsidies in order to increase housing supply and reduce the housing benefit bill, and that this would require institutional reforms to connect housing supply, local housing markets, and the drivers of benefit spending in particular parts of the country. The report outlined a phased plan to provide powers and incentives to make the shift from 'benefits to bricks', including: the sharing between local authorities and the Treasury of the proceeds of local action to reduce housing benefit spending relative to forecasted costs; to allow local authorities to redraw their broad rental market areas and revert to direct payment of landlords, retaining a share of any savings locally; to devolve housing capital budgets to combined authorities, and give them greater control over setting levels of social rent; and for a multiyear Affordable Housing Fund, to fund building and rent subsidy.
Source: Graeme Cooke and Bill Davies, Benefits to Bricks: Mobilising local leadership to build homes and control the benefits bill, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report said that bringing more land forward for house building was crucial to prevent the worsening of availability and affordability of housing in England and Wales. The report presented case studies of a range of measures, and discussed the difficulties associated with their use in the existing economic climate.
Source: Gemma Burgess and Sarah Monk, Mechanisms to Increase Housing Land Supply in England and Wales, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
A report examined residents' experiences and views of housing in Tower Hamlets, a borough of London. The report was based on community-led research that was conducted in collaboration with academics. It said that there was a housing crisis in the borough, and discussed issues related to landlords, the condition of housing, affordability, and overcrowding. The report proposed a range of actions.
Source: Tower Hamlets: A report on the housing crisis in one of London's most expensive borough, Tower Hamlets Citizens
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
A report examined the building and construction supply chain, and its environmental impact.
Source: Roy Antink, Curt Garrigan, Marco Bonetti, and Richard Westaway, Greening the Building Supply Chain, United Nations Environment Programme
Links: Report | UKGBC press release
Date: 2014-May
A report said that land was not being hoarded in any systematic or concerted way by house builders in Britain, and that the financial incentives for developers were heavily weighted towards developing, rather than retaining, land. The report said that only 4 per cent of unstarted plots had usable planning permission, 63 per cent of plots were on sites where construction work was underway, and the overall volume of land being put into the planning system, through construction, and into new homes fell short of that required to solve the housing crisis.
Source: Permissions to Land: Busting the myths about house builders and 'land banking', Home Builders Federation
Links: Report | HBF press release
Date: 2014-May
A report examined the issue of housing supply in England. It said that average house prices would continue to rise unless the estimated need for 250,000 new homes a year was met. The report examined issues including land prices, competition, levels of investment in affordable housing, and planning. It made a wide range of recommendations for the next United Kingdom government that included: the release of infrastructure spending to unlock stalled house-building sites, with council tax penalties for land that remained undeveloped; greater support for custom build, including a 'Help to Build' scheme, using government guarantees to help small builders access the market; a new National Housing Investment Bank to finance affordable house building; five new garden cities; New Homes Zones; and greater consideration of housing within future City Deals.
Source: Pete Jefferys, Toby Lloyd, Andy Argyle, Joe Sarling, Jan Crosby, and John Bibby, Building the Homes We Need: A programme for the 2015 government, KPMG/Shelter
Links: Report | Shelter press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-May
A report provided the findings from the first of three regional baseline summaries that were planned to inform evaluation of the impact of the Empty Homes Community Grants Programme (EHCGP). The EHCGP was a government funded programme to provide funding to local community-led housing organizations in England. The baseline study had identified the scale and nature of existing self-help housing projects in the Midlands, and explored factors affecting expansion of the sector, the wider community benefits, and the impact of the programme. The report made interim recommendations.
Source: David Mullins and Halima Sacranie, Evaluation of the Empty Homes Community Grants Programme (EHCGP) – Midlands region, Housing and Communities Research Group, University of Birmingham
Links: Report | University of Birmingham press release
Date: 2014-Apr
A report considered the financial mechanisms that could lead to additional investment in affordable housing in England. It said that, in spite of its economic significance, the financing of affordable housing was not prioritized by government, but any potential measures to stimulate additional building would require new government contributions. The report made three main recommendations: to borrow to invest; to recognize, and act upon the perverse effects of, inconsistencies in public sector accounting; and to establish institutions to provide more, cheaper finance to housing associations and other developers of affordable housing.
Source: Justin Chaloner and Mark Pragnell, Increasing Investment in Affordable Housing: Towards a level playing field for affordable housing, Capital Economics/Shelter
Links: Report | Shelter summary
Date: 2014-Apr
A report called for a range of policy interventions to increase the supply of affordable housing. Proposals included: a National Housing Investment Bank; for affordable housing to be reclassified as 'infrastructure' in the national accounts (to remove it from inclusion in the public sector borrowing requirement); clearer linkage of rents with household income; and for Local Housing Companies to be created in some areas (to oversee a range of related areas, spanning local authority boundaries).
Source: Mike De'Ath, Making a Place for Low Cost Housing, Housing Forum
Links: Report | Housing Forum press release
Date: 2014-Mar
The coalition government presented its 2014 Budget statement. National income growth forecasts had been revised upwards from 2.4 per cent to 2.7 per cent in 2014 and from 2.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent in 2015, with forecasts of 2.6 per cent in 2016, 2.6 per cent in 2017 and 2.5 per cent in 2018. The public sector net debt had been revised downwards, to peak at 78.7 per cent of national income in 2015-16 before falling year on year to 2018-19. The main Budget measures included:
• Government departments required to find year on year efficiency savings, with cuts of £119 billion in 2015-16;
• Welfare cap set at £119.5 billion for 2015-16 with year on year increases to 2018-19 (to be included in the Charter for Budget Responsibility);
• Expansion of the Troubled Families programme in 2014-15;
• Increase in childcare costs cap to £10,000 per annum per child, against which up to 20 per cent of costs could be claimed by parents, or 85 per cent if parents paid income tax and were on universal credit (this had been previously announced, but was confirmed in the Budget);
Additional early years premium funding for schools (this had been previously announced, but was confirmed in the Budget);
• Increase in personal tax allowance to £10,500 from 2015 and increase in National Minimum Wage to £6.50 in October 2014;
New ISA provisions, with an increase in the annual limit to £15,000; new government savings bonds for over 65s; increased limits for Premium Savings Bonds; proposed removal of the requirement for defined contribution pension funds to be converted to annuities; and changes to taxation of pensions (a consultation paper on pensions was published alongside the Budget);
• Doubling of the annual investment allowance for companies, changes to export funding, and additional funding for apprenticeships;
• Energy-related measures, including: changes to the carbon price support cap; support for carbon capture and storage, oil, and gas initiatives; and compensation for energy costs for energy intensive industries;
• Infrastructure measures, including: funding for repairs to flood defences and roads; government guarantee for the Mersey Gateway Bridge; funding via a gain share mechanism for Greater Cambridge transport and infrastructure proposals; and grants for cathedral repairs; and
Housing measures, including: extension of the Help to Buy equity loan scheme to March 2020; loans for smaller developers and a repayable funding scheme for self-build; loan funding for regeneration of large housing estates; and a new garden city at Ebbsfleet, Kent (this had been previously announced, but was confirmed in the Budget).
Source: Budget 2014, HC 1104, HM Treasury, TSO
Links related to Budget: Report | Fiscal outlook | Overview of taxation measures | Speech | Pensions consultation | HMT press release 1 | HM Treasury press release 2 | DCLG press release | Northern Ireland Office press release | Scotland Office press release | Wales Office press release | Welsh Government press release | 4Children press release | Age UK press release | Action for Children press release | Barnardos press release | BCC press release | Childrens Society press release | CPAG press release | CPAG Scotland press release | CIH press release | Fawcett Society press release | Gingerbread press release | IEA press release | IFS analysis | LGA press release 1 | LGA press release 2 | LGA press release 3 | Oxfam press release | Plaid Cymru press release | PwC press release | RCGP press release | Unite press release | BBC report 1 | BBC report 2 | Guardian report 1 | Guardian report 2 | Guardian report 3 | Inside Housing report | Inside Housing report 2 | New Statesman report | Telegraph report
Links related to Ebbsfleet announcement: LGA press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report 1 | Inside Housing report 2 | Inside Housing report 3 | Telegraph report
Links related to childcare and pupil premium announcements: Government consultation response | Written ministerial statement | Barnardos press release | Citizens Advice press release | CBI press release | Gingerbread press release | IFS comment | JRF press release | NCT press release | BBC report | Guardian report | New Statesman report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Mar
A new book examined housing in Britain and its role within the economy, arguing that housing was both at the heart of the recent financial crisis, and central to a precarious economic recovery. The book said that building more homes would not resolve the crises of homelessness and affordability, and that efforts should be made instead to address inequality.
Source: Danny Dorling, All that is Solid: The great housing disaster, Allen Lane
Links: Summary | Accompanying website
Date: 2014-Mar
A think-tank report examined the impact of overseas investment on the residential housing sector in the United Kingdom, and considered whether additional measures were needed both to stabilize house prices in London and to tackle demand as well as supply. It recommended that non-residents and short-term visa holders should be prevented from investing in residential property unless their investment would increase the housing stock.
Source: David Green and Daniel Bentley, Finding Shelter: Overseas investment in the UK housing market, Civitas
Links: Report | Civitas press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report said that the Mayor's proposed housing strategy for London was not sufficiently ambitious in its proposals to address housing shortages. The report said that the plans did not address the shortage of affordable housing, overcrowding, and homelessness. It called for additional detail in order to assess the proposals more thoroughly.
Source: London Assembly Response to the Draft London Housing Strategy, Greater London Authority
Links: Report | London Assembly press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined how to increase housing supply in Wales and maximize the jobs and growth delivered by home building. It recommended a clearer focus on the outcome (of more homes), rather than on the process, and discussed the need to release public land, utilize local authorities' borrowing powers, and overcome barriers and objections within the planning system.
Source: Delivering More Homes for Wales: Report of the Housing Supply Task Force, Welsh Government
Links: Report | Policy document review
Date: 2014-Feb
A collection of essays discussed ideas for the development of the Thames estuary to the east of London, setting out a series of recommendations that included the improvement of transport links, the creation of new Thames crossings, and the development of a new town at Ebbsfleet, as well as consideration of other new town sites.
Source: Andrew Adonis, Ben Rogers, and Sam Sims (eds.), Go East: Unlocking the potential of the Thames estuary, Centre for London
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the United Kingdom legislation on new towns and considered the changes needed to make it fit for purpose. It said that new towns would allow for cost-effective and sustainable growth in the housing supply and, while the legislation still in force could be used, it was was in need of modernization to: create transparent legal objectives for Development Corporations; require participation by the public in the design and delivery of the New Town; ensure partnership working with established local authorities; and ensure the timely handover of the New Town's assets, to be held in perpetuity for the benefit of the community.
Source: New Towns Act 2015?, Town and Country Planning Association
Links: Report | TCPA press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report provided a summary of findings on concealed families in England and Wales, from 2011 Census data. A concealed family was defined as one living in a multi-family household in addition to the primary family, such as a young couple living with parents. It said that there were 289,000 concealed families in 2011 (1.8 per cent of all families in households), compared with 170,000 (1.2 per cent) in 2001. Lone parent families with dependent children were the family type most frequently concealed (4.3 per cent of all lone parent families with dependent children).
Source: What Does the 2011 Census Tell Us About Concealed Families Living in Multi-Family Households in England and Wales?, Office for National Statistics
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Feb
A report evaluated the rural housing enabler network in Wales, which was established to facilitate and broker the development of rural affordable housing. The report said that RHEs had helped delivery of housing, but delivery had been held back by a lack of capital funding, the limited supply of sites, and local planning policy, which were all outside of the control of RHEs. The report made recommendations for actions at the local and Welsh government levels, including the retention of RHEs with long-term funding.
Source: Jo Lavis, David Hedges, Catherine Stubbings, and Lin Cousins, An Evaluation of Rural Housing Enablers in Wales, Research Report 7/14, Welsh Government
Links: Report | Summary | Literature review | Welsh government press release
Date: 2014-Jan
A report examined household statistics from the 2011 Census and discussed how the demographic and economic context of the timing of the Census could impact on the future use of the figures for England. In particular, the report outlined how household size projections could be affected, and discussed the potential implications and options for future planning for housing.
Source: Neil McDonald and Peter Williams, Planning for Housing in England: Understanding recent changes in household formation rates and their implications for planning for housing in England, Royal Town Planning Institute
Links: Report | Briefing | RTPI press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jan
