“I want labour to be the party of home ownership”. Whilst outlining their party’s housing policy, Labour leader Keir Starmer has definitively contrasted the party against the current conservative government. Not only would Labour reintroduce mandatory housing targets, it would also bring in new powers for local authorities which …

Welcome to our May issue of Planning Ahead. We hope you all enjoyed the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend. This is our post-election edition. With all the major changes arising from the local elections, we have augmented our elections page with the results, changes of power and councillor numbers. This covers …

On Monday 24 April, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee held its second oral hearing on reforms to the national planning policy. The witnesses this time around were Housing Minister Rachel Maclean and Director General of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, responsible for regeneration Emran Mian. …

The Conservative party took a thumping in last week’s local elections losing over 1,000 councillors and control of 48 councils. For the first time since 2002, Labour is the largest party of local government with 2,674 councillors, as opposed to the Conservatives 2,296 and LibDem 1,628. Although it sounds dramatic, …

Welcome to our April issue of Planning Ahead. We trust you had an enjoyable Easter break. This is our pre-election edition. This year, for the first time, we have uploaded a list of all the councils up for election in our operating area: London, the Home Counties, East Anglia, and …

Our Michael Hardware, director of planning and property, will be speaking at two conferences in his councillor role as cabinet member for regeneration and strategic growth at Harlow District Council. The first is Housing supply and development in England being organised by the Westminster Social Policy Forum on 26th May. …

As well as the recent Select Committee hearing, there have been other housing updates. First, social housing is gaining more traction in Westminster and the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Committees (DLUHC) has responded to this. Secondly, DLUHC has indicated that councils will be allowed to keep 100% of their …

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee had its first oral evidence hearing into the Government’s planning reforms on 16 March. A recent consultation took place that sought to tighten the regulations surrounding greenbelt land, re-evaluate the housing number targets and push for greater use of brownfield land. The …