Susan J. Smith

Oh…

All good news (though the Scottish system has had some of this inbuilt for a while). However the biggest brake overall on housing market transactions is stamp duty… also worth an overhaul?

Just a reminder that the closing date for this fab 2-year opportunity @britishacademy.bsky.social to develop and lead high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary research is 5 November (in partnership with CIFAR)

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...

What future for residential property taxation in Britain? - Economics Observatory Council tax is unpopular, unfair and overdue for reform. An alternative would be to fund statutory services through central government, introduce a modest local service charge, and absorb stamp duty a...

Here’s the problem and a few potential solutions www.economicsobservatory.com/what-future-...

MSPs vote to allow councils to hike tax on second homes – with no limit MSPS have voted to allow councils to hike council tax on second and empty homes – without any cap.

Oh dear… As well as assuming that Council Tax is fit for purpose, this leaves most under-occupation and the majority of housing wealth untouched. Why not try for something fairer and more effective across the entire #housing stock? www.thenational.scot/news/2550742...

Excellent intervention. Tbh the erosion of social mobility (and John Goldthorpe’s game-changing exposé of it) is usually the first thing I think of when reflecting on long run trends in economic inequality; the second is the brake imposed on labour mobility by the way #housing systems work…

Hmm building societies… are there tax implications or does the developer just reduce the price?

Exactly! Large corporates have their eyes on the huge value of ‘last time sales’ - part of a wider shift in the housing economy www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Important read!

Building resilience in UK communities – final report from the British Academy and Nuffield Foundation The British Academy and the Nuffield Foundation have today published the final report from their joint Understanding Communities programme, launched in 2022 to inform policy and practice on how commun...

Looking for inspiration? Six projects, four themes, two funders, over forty talented scholars and a bunch of innovative methods = a unique, collaborative, vision for strengthening the social and cultural fabric of our communities www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/buildin...

These are really great awards for anyone who needs a break from teaching/administration to finish off a significant piece of research (closing date 12 November)

Don’t miss this! A theatre company with a brilliant knack of engaging with the major political and practical issues of the day.

British Academy Book Prize The British Academy Book Prize rewards works of non-fiction, based on exceptional research and written for the general reader, that deepen our understanding of people, societies and cultures and their...

October = @britishacademy.bsky.social book prize season… Six of the best on my desk (well, one is in my hand on a train) (thank goodness I’m not a judge!) www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/british-acad...

The missing link is an urgent review of higher education funding. So much to play for…

Too little demand in the under-invested old industrial North-east where you can still get a flat white for £2.05p?

How derelict garages could ease Britain’s housing crisis The UK has hundreds of thousands of empty lock-ups. Fifteen were demolished in Bristol to make way for architect-designed ‘Gap Houses’

Look what you can achieve when a ‘think and do’ tank embraces modern methods of #housing construction 👀

www.thetimes.com/article/c9f3...

Homes fit for families! Worth a try…

New Post: A Railway Memoir in Archipelago This piece by Pamela Clemit was first published in Archipelago, 2.2 (Spring 2023), 152-61. The essay is a recollection of her early childhood years as a station master’s daughter, and an eleg…

On the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (#OTD 1825), here’s my memoir of growing up on the East Coast Main Line, where I witnessed of the demise of the steam age. #Railway200

pamelaclemit.wordpress.com/2024/10/25/n...

YouTube video by Queen Victoria's Consort Stockton to Darlington Railway 200th Celebration

Two hundred years ago today, Locomotion1 set off to Stockton with passengers, and… Yarm band… playing something a bit like this… youtu.be/Kz0P2SgP-lI?...

YouTube video by Queen Victoria's Consort Stockton to Darlington Railway 200th Celebration

This Saturday will be the 200th anniversary of the first passenger rail journey from Darlington to Stockton in NE England. Yarm band were in tow. Here’s a flavour of what they might have played… youtu.be/Kz0P2SgP-lI?...

Listen up!

Great to see this in print!

Congratulations Peter. Another timely intervention!

Thank you. Yes, it’s a focus article and there are some great critiques including yours with Amber Howard (and a reply, of course!) I presume they are ‘coming soon’…

The Edges of Owner-Occupation versus Rentier Capitalism Over the past half century, housing systems have been reconfigured through processes variously labelled financialization, assetization and rentierization. Unevenly advanced by successive rounds of ...

Uncanny timing. New #housing paper arrives online right in the middle of relaxing holiday… www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Living with the planet season Delve into some of today's most urgent challenges and explore the latest research around biodiversity loss, nature recovery, the future of food and environmental justice. Living with the Planet will e...

Interested in ‘Living with the Planet?’ Huge autumn agenda @britishacademy.bsky.social Something for everyone inclined to save the future… www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/seasons/livi...

Excellent news. These long runs of data are priceless. Fingers crossed that they get the #housing questions right…

2025 British Academy Book Prize Six books offering new perspectives on issues of global importance, united by rigorous research and a remarkable ability to tell powerful stories in an engaging and compelling way.

In other news, racing to read these before the winner is announced… (that said, a good book can’t be rushed, and there are six of the very best here, completely unputdownable yet absolutely holding me up!) www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/british-acad...

Eye-watering shifts in access to core subjects - disciplines vital for the fabric and future of human life. Losing capacity/capability in the humanities, arts and social is not just a shame; it’s a risk…

That’s a fascinating paper. Intrigued by the instrumentalism of the parental wealth/ preference for illiquidity concept…