Tom Kennedy

A new town

Congrats to @tpkennedy.bsky.social for runner up paper Brownfield First – How devolved brownfield funding can build a new generation of homes in the North.

The standard of entries was very high and make fascinating reading - both papers on Thinkhouse website.

The winner was Dr Michael Marshall, a Research Associate, University of Sheffield with his paper "The spatial distribution of non-decent homes: Introducing the Non-Decent Index "

www.thinkhouse.org.uk/about/early-...

www.thinkhouse.org.uk/site/assets/... - Michael's winning paper here.

www.thinkhouse.org.uk/site/assets/... - My paper here.

The winner was Dr Michael Marshall, a Research Associate, University of Sheffield with his paper "The spatial distribution of non-decent homes: Introducing the Non-Decent Index "

V pleased that my paper on improving devolved brownfield funding has been chosen as runner up in @thinkhouseinfo.bsky.social's Early Career Researcher Prize.

Congratulations to @michael-s-marshall.bsky.social for a fascinating and important paper on spatial distribution of non-decency in England.

powerful speech on Grenfell from Keir Starmer to the House of Commons

What exactly is the link with selective licensing? Is having a licensing scheme a prerequisite to taking this action, or is it just that this wouldn’t have been made aware to them without it?

Council takes control of rented homes to protect residents at risk A rogue landlord who persistently failed to license several rented properties has had the homes seized by Merton Council in one of the first actions of its kind in the country. The council has used…

Another interim management order, this time Merton council. Is this the start of a trend? news.merton.gov.uk/2024/08/13/c...

What does the collapse in section 106 demand mean for housing ... Housing associations have stopped bidding to buy section 106 homes in many parts of the country, resulting in a drop-off in affordable homes and major delays on for-sale schemes. Joey Gardiner asks wh...

Housing associations are currently refusing to take on affordable housing built on mixed tenure sites. Good write up here on the reasons behind this (mainly it's that they don't have enough money) www.building.co.uk/focus/what-d...

Should more funding be made available for major regen. and refurb. programmes? Yes. Should the Government front up on building safety and fire safety costs? Yes. Neither is likely, so either the gap increases between costs and budgets - some orgs have already slashed investment programmes.

Rents fund the services social landlords provide. These are set lower than market rent because of capital grant and, to a lesser extent, cross subsidy. Allowing certainty via a long term rent settlement pegged at CPI + 1% is better than the alternative given that is basically nothing.

Rural council housing - as quintessentially English (and Welsh and Scottish) as sheep and the country church. But we need to build some more. This is Cardinham, Cornwall; 1960s council homes built by Wadebridge Rural District Council.

Brownfield First How devolved brownfield funding can build a new generation of homes in the North

And on that… here’s another paper on how devolved brownfield funding and wider housing/regeneration policy could be improved to deliver more homes on previously developed land - www.flipsnack.com/northernhous...

One of things I think the revised NPPF gets right is that planning housing growth across a city region makes more sense than just putting a 35% uplift on the urban core. But to make that work properly, the funding, policy and appraisal systems all need to be working for all areas…

Great to work with Joe on some of the stuff around this. Perfect for the housing nerd in your life and hopefully timely given the debates around the revised NPPF, greybelt etc.

What do the Green Book and related guidance say, what don’t they say, what changes have been made and more!

People seem to be asking whether there's a UK Housing starter pack, so I have made one up. Do share.

And let me know if I've missed people off here (space to add another 15!) go.bsky.app/NRu8tPX

Work in housing/regeneration and want to know more about HM Treasury's Green Book? Want to know what it sets out and what it actually says? Want to know how it and the process/practice could be improved? (And it might not be what you think!).

Have a read and become an econ-housing geek too!

In addition to this, it’s also just quite nice being able to scroll your timeline without coming across the most racist anonymous account you’ve ever imagined telling you something like “Here are the ten ways Britain would be better if it copied Rhodesia”.

Tough to see how there are still tickets left unsold.

How to Build New Trams in the UK and Get Britain Moving

Excellent report on why the UK needs more trams by Britain Remade, whose head of policy @samdumitriu.bsky.social has just joined: www.britainremade.co.uk/backontrack