Creating the capacity to deliver on our housing ambitions
On June 24th, over 40 NHC members joined with the NHC and Homes England for a joint workshop on local authority skills and capacity. The highly interactive session was focused on understanding and responding to local government capacity needs.
The Homes England team presented their emerging thinking on the agency’s role in providing the skills and capacity places need to make homes happen. Feedback from NHC members will inform further development of Homes England’s model.
The workshop follows new research from the NHC published in February, which quantified the reduction in housing and planning capacity in the North’s local authorities over the last decade. Our study found:
- The average net spend on housing in northern councils has fallen by 54% since 2010/11, compared to a reduction of 34% in the rest of England
- The average net spend on planning in northern councils has fallen by 65% since 2010/11, compared to a reduction of 50% in the rest of England.
Commenting, the NHC’s Brian Robson said:
“Since we published our research in February we’ve been engaging with partners to take the recommendations forward. In Homes England, we’ve found a receptive partner with a shared interest understanding and responding to local government capacity needs. I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the workshop, and look forward to seeing Homes England’s model develop further to meet the North’s needs.”
