Could a Cross-departmental Housing Delivery Unit Help Coordinate Policy?
A recent report has recommended that the government establish a cross-departmental housing delivery unit to coordinate policy. This is one of several recommendations from a commission originally led by economist Kate Barker.
Alex Notay, who succeeded Kate Barker as the commission’s leader, emphasised the need for a delivery unit that would collaborate with the Bank of England and financial and utility regulators. The commission also stressed the importance of a cross-party agreement to create policy consensus, a new strategy for releasing public land for housing, and a new role for Homes England as a master developer.
The report, titled ‘Beyond the Permacrisis – Delivering 1,000 Homes a Day,’ includes 15 recommendations. It urges the government to reform the current system of developer contributions through Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy, and to agree on a prompt rent settlement for housing associations.
“Talk is cheap, literally,” the report states. “Real change to deliver high quality, affordable housing will need to be matched not only with new structures and processes, but with hard, cold cash. More social rent housing will require subsidy.”
The Radix Big Tent Housing Commission was initially chaired by Barker, who authored the influential Barker Report in 2004. After her appointment as deputy chair of the government’s New Towns Taskforce, she was succeeded by Alex Notay, who was previously the investment director for the fund and asset management arm of Place for People.
Notay remarked that the housing market is “in a worse state than it was two decades ago” when Barker wrote her previous report. She noted, “In particular, there has been a failure to link new housing with infrastructure delivery and also, since the financial crisis, a further decline in the supply of new social rent homes.”
“The golden thread of our recommendations is to urge the government to ensure that any policy change is assessed against every aspect of the housing ecosystem. Unblocking the various viability issues addressed in our report – alongside the strategic planning proposals we make – would be transformative.”
The report has been sent to Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning.
Radix Big Tent, which describes itself as the “think tank of the radical centre,” was established in 2022 through the merger of two existing organisations and includes former cabinet ministers Andrew Lansley and Vince Cable among its board members.
The report has been well-received in the built environment sector. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said it offered “clear and sensible recommendations for the future of housebuilding.” She added, “It underscores the essential link between homes and infrastructure, adopting a holistic approach to housing and planning – issues we have long championed,” while noting that planning reform alone would not be “a silver bullet.”
Melanie Leech, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation, commented, “In the 20 years since Dame Kate Barker’s review of UK Housing Supply, it is evident that many of the challenges she identified still remain. However, a key aspect that has radically changed is the arrival of institutional investment into housing – a vital tool previously unavailable to policymakers. By recognising housing as essential infrastructure, and calling for stable, long-term capital, the report aligns with the vision of a vibrant residential investment sector that delivers high-quality, professionally managed homes at scale.”
