Commission for Housing in the North
The Northern Housing Consortium believes that locally driven regeneration and a strengthened housing supply are critical to achieving the growth needed across the North to level up our economy. We know the North has the potential and the opportunities to do this.
We have continued to push for concerted and consistent policies to boost investment in our infrastructure, which includes housing, and to provide the local flexibility to most effectively manage it. The improvement of our existing housing stock remains an important part of the North’s economic and social infrastructure which could, and should, be integral to regional and national strategies.
At the end of 2016 after 18 months of consultation and research, the NHC published the report of the Commission for Housing in the North.
5 years on from the commission
2021 will mark 5 years on from this Commission’s publication. To mark the 5-year anniversary, we will be compiling a set of commentary pieces from former Commissioners and from others in the sector on their views of how far we have come from the findings of our report.
There have been some changes for the better but in many ways things have remained the same or are improving at a gradual rate.
The Government has now started to talk about regeneration. Support is available for the regeneration of towns and communities with targeted investment for places most in need, particularly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Brownfield land funding will provide welcome investment in Northern areas. The levelling-up fund is important recognition that some parts of the country have received less investment in recent years and the scale of the Fund presents a real opportunity for regeneration in the North.
These are welcome programmes, and we want to assess, through a personal perspective of those involved, how much progress has been made and what still needs to be done.
To mark this year’s milestone of 5 years on from the Housing in the North report, we are commissioning articles from those who were influential in working on the report and from others in the sector who can offer a personal perspective.
Blog series
These articles will reflect a range of themes such as green retrofit and regeneration, affordability, poor quality private rental market, role of devolution and levelling up in housing regeneration, the changing nature of our town centres and the role of planning reforms in regeneration schemes.
Kicking off the series NHC Chief Executive Tracy Harrison with an article setting out ‘Northern Regeneration – National Opportunity.’
Lord Best, who was a member of the Commission provides his insight into ‘Who will retrofit a million homes in the North?’
Geraldine Howley provides her view of ‘Partnership working at a Local Level.’
Click the images below to read more. Look out for more of the series in future editions of NHC Member News.
