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Housing and Urban Regeneration Blogs
Crisis? What Crisis? Why Andrew Lilico is wrong to say the UK has no shortage of housing
Alex Morton, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing, Planning & Urban Policy, responds to an article by Andrew Lilico asserting that there is no housing shortage in London and the South East. Alex points out the flaws stemming from the terminology used and calls for a less restrictive planning regime to help get more homes built.
The north’s economy needs a radical new approach if it’s going to catch up with the south
Neil O’Brien, Director of Policy Exchange, argues that the North’s economy needs a radical new approach to catch up with the South. Neil shows how previous Policy Exchange research on local pay bargaining and planning reform could attract private sector investment and jobs.
Don’t blame developers: Britain’s planning system pushes up prices
Senior Research Fellow for Housing & Planning Alex Morton dismisses criticism that developers hoarding land are to blame for the lack of new homes, instead laying the blame at the door of the planning system which makes land with residential planning permission so hard to come by that it incentivises holding land as an asset rather than using it for building.
‘Concreting over the countryside’? Actually we’re building less than ever
Policy Exchange Director Neil O’Brien argues that the government needs to adopt a fresh approach to the housing problem, stressing that stringent planning regulations are preventing empty offices and buildings being converted into residential properties.
Housing – why planning powers should be reshuffled to local people and a new Secretary of State
Senior Research Fellow for Housing & Planning Alex Morton sets out recommendations from his Policy Exchange research that would see kickstart housebuilding levels and calls for the creation of a new Department for Housing & Planning.
Want to get out of recession? Start building houses
Alex Morton, Policy Exchange’s Senior Research Fellow for Housing & Planning and author of new report Ending Expensive Social Tenancies, calls for the government to show that it is serious about housing by creating a Secretary of State for Housing & Planning.
How’s this for a deal? Regional pay restraint…to fund regional infrastructure
Matthew Oakley, Head of Economics & Social Policy at Policy Exchange, argues that recommendations from reportEnding Expensive Social Tenancies and reforming public sector pay would create savings which could be reinvested into growth-enhancing infrastructure.
No one has a right to live in Kensington at taxpayers’ expense: it’s time to start recycling social housing
Policy Exchange Director Neil O’Brien writes advocating recommendations from new report Ending Expensive Social Tenancies that expensive social housing should be sold and the proceeds used to build more social housing.
“Expensive” social housing is unfair for everyone in the system
Alex Morton, Senior Research Fellow for Housing & Planning and author of Policy Exchange’s latest report Ending Expensive Social Tenancies makes proposals from the report that could see hundreds of thousands of new homes built and highlights the unfairness of housing social tenants in accommodation many hard-working people may never be able to afford.
The Olympics teach us (among other things) that Britain isn’t meritocratic enough
Policy Exchange Director Neil O’Brien draws six lessons from the Olympic Games, including that Britain actually can successfully conduct big projects, should focus on ‘victory through specialisation’ and embrace elitism and meritocracy.
