NEW | Standardising Section 106 agreements is overdue. Making it stick will be harder. Mike Reader, Member of Parliament for Northampton South, sets out the path for fixing the Section 106 process through standardisation and national leadership. redbrickblog.co.uk/2026/02/stan...

NEW | Labour’s Commonhold Bill is the start of the end of the leasehold nightmare Alex Toal sets out what is in Labour’s new Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill and what else the Government is doing to end the many problems inherent in leasehold. redbrickblog.co.uk/2026/02/labo...

The Future of Home Buying: Can the government finally fix England’s broken housing transaction system? Angela Hesketh sets out how the Government can simplify the home buying process to lower costs and provide certainty to consumers. redbrickblog.co.uk/2026/01/the-...

NEW | Labour’s shift to homelessness prevention is a crucial opportunity for councils Greg Hurst sets out how local and regional leaders must test and learn to make the use of the Government’s additional funding towards homelessness prevention. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/12/labo...

NEW | Abolish Private Landlords? Paul Smith (@housingpaul.bsky.social) questions the Green Party’s plans to “abolish private landlords” and whether severely clamping down on the private rented sector is workable policy: redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/11/abol...

NEW | The Retrofit Challenge: Why Leasehold Flats Risk Being Left Behind Amanda Hack MP looks at the challenges behind decarbonising flats in a leasehold environment. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/11/the-...

NEW | Autumn Budget 2025: Five priorities to turn the corner on the housing crisis @rachaelwhsg.bsky.social, sets out how the upcoming Autumn Budget can support Labour’s plans to address the housing crisis. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/11/autu...

Some thoughts from me for @redbrickblog.bsky.social, on behalf of @cihhousing.bsky.social, on what we hope to see for housing in the #AutumnBudget on 26 Nov. 🏘️ redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/11/autu... #ukhousing

NEW | Safe homes for survivors of domestic abuse – what does Labour need to do? Jess Asato MP calls for a whole housing approach with ring-fenced funding to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse get the support they need. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/11/safe...

NEW | Britain is losing the spaces that hold us together. Housing can provide the spaces we so urgently need Owen Jarvis sets out how community led housing can revitalise our neighbourhoods after years of neglect: redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/11/how-...

NEW | Why councils hold the key to building 1.5 million new homes Toby Fox, Author of 1.5 Million New Homes, lays out the barriers at a local level to local authorities in their role of delivering new homes on the ground. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/10/why-...

NEW | We need to talk about Section 106… again Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Group Chief Executive of L&Q, calls on developers to work more closely with affordable housing providers to ensure that homes built through Section 106 are fit for purpose. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/10/we-n...

NEW | How Labour can turn housing outputs into electoral outcomes For Labour to make political hay from its housing achievements, it must focus directly addressing the cost of living and vested interests in housing. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/10/how-...

NEW | A housing and climate win-win is available but is it on the government’s radar? Paul Brannen lays out how the Government’s plans for housing should factor in construction with timber to mitigate the environmental impact of construction. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/08/10-y...

NEW | Will the Renters’ Rights Bill end the temporary accommodation crisis? Ben Twomey, Chief Executive of Generation Rent, argues that a lack of measures on affordability in the Renters’ Rights Bill will hamper attempts to reduce the cost of renting. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/rent...

Will the Renters’ Rights Bill end the temporary accommodation crisis? With the cost of renting still soaring across the UK, read my article for @redbrickblog.bsky.social 🏘️ redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/rent...

NEW | Speeding Up With Certainty Cllr Ezra Cohen lays out how the Government can speed up the pace of housebuilding with existing rules rather than relying on new powers. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/spee...

NEW | Fix renting to fix lives Dr Beth Kitson explores how renters are not just paying more in rent, but also paying the price in lower wellbeing. Housing reform is not only about correcting markets, it’s about improving people’s everyday lives. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/fix-...

Renters face not only higher costs but also lower wellbeing. @pbe.co.uk identified 110,000 individuals experience decreased wellbeing due to private renting, costing £3.7k per person annually. Read @redbrickblog.bsky.social piece: redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/fix-...

NEW | Tackling second homes and short-term lets is key to addressing rural inequality @jaynekirkhammp.bsky.social lays out the issues which second homes and short-term lets pose to rural communities and the tools local authorities need to address them. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/clas...

“One year in, and the Labour Government is moving with remarkable speed and ambition to fix the housing crisis, proving that, when it comes to housing, change is being delivered.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/so-w...

NEW | ‘So what has Labour done differently?' – 50 housing wins from Labour’s first year in power With bold steps in housing delivery, fixing flawed tenures, building safety and quality, Labour’s first year in office has marked a step change in housing. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/so-w...

NEW | Ending out-of-borough temporary accommodation must be a key part of Labour’s mission @naushabahkhanmp.bsky.social sets out the national issue of out-of-borough temporary accommodation, and what Labour can do to address this. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/clas...

NEW | Safe as houses: how this Government is putting building safety at the top of the agenda. Darren Paffey MP lays out the previous Government’s failures in tackling the building safety crisis and what Labour is doing to grips with this pressing issue. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/clas...

A new article from me for @redbrickblog.bsky.social about how construction skills, good jobs, and building homes - if done right - can help us to tackle the rise of populist parties like Reform 👇

NEW | Can building homes help Labour beat populism? @laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social sets out how Labour’s active skills policy in construction can help to generate the jobs and prosperity needed to beat populism. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/clas...

✍️ on New Towns

NEW | New Towns are a Labour success story – now these young towns need Labour again @shaundaviesmp.bsky.social, looks back at Labour’s achievements with New Towns and sets out their potential under this Government. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/shau...

NEW | The Supported Housing Act needs to back good providers While Emmaus UK’s research shows strong support for new supported housing standards, the government needs to ensure good providers do not suffer unintended consequences. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/the-...

NEW | Not so nimby after all? Ben Marshall, Research Director at Ipsos, digs into the polling around support for new homes and the public’s views on how homes should be built, and how it should shape Labour’s housing agenda. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/not-...

“All the research and papers highlight that diversity in housing delivery does increase the rate at which new homes are completed.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/get-...

“At one time it was hard to find anyone on either government or opposition benches willing to speak up for council housing, now it is widely perceived as key to solving the UK’s housing crisis.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/thir...

NEW | Foundations for the Future: how can new delivery models help to mitigate the housing emergency? Jack Pringle, Chair of the Board of the Royal Institute of British Architects, lays out the potential of new delivery models to deliver much-needed social homes. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/foun...

NEW | Get on and build Town planner Mary Elkington of Figura Planning Ltd explains a bit about the speed of housebuilding today and how the government’s proposed approaches speeding of housing delivery may be one part of the answer. @maryindevon.bsky.social redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/get-...

NEW | Thirty years of challenging the public borrowing rules John Perry and Steve Hilditch look back at past debates about how housing financing should fit within the Government’s fiscal rules. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/06/thir...

NEW | Building 1.5m homes with a skills shortage: strategies to alleviate labour demand City building specialist Simon Barrow lays out how the Government can reduce the demand on the UK’s stretched construction workforce. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/stra...

“While it probably didn’t decide the election, housing policy was a fiercely debated central issue during the campaign, with Labor’s pitch (and record) generally landing better with the public.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/hous...

“Creative solutions to find money are required, and looking at the antiquated way in which housing is taxed could not only free up more money for public services, but result in direct cash benefit for lower income households.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/labo...

NEW | Housing issues loomed large in Australia’s Labor’s historic election win Professor Hal Pawson of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, lays out the housing undercurrents of Australia’s recent election and the way forward for a second Albanese term. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/hous...

NEW | Labour’s opportunity to disrupt housing taxation Red Brick Editor Alex Toal looks into how reforming how our homes are taxed could represent a political opportunity for Labour. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/labo...

NEW | Bricks, Mortar, and the People to Lay Them Tom Arey, director at PfP Thrive, lays out the challenges faced by organisations aiming to address the skills shortages in housing and what can be done to attract more people to the sector. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/bric...

“Clearly, our existing approach is broken, underlined by the fact that the more we’ve depended on developer contributions, the fewer genuinely affordable homes we’ve managed to produce.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/refo...

NEW | Reforming Section 106 is crucial for a generational boost in social housing The existing system to fund social housing from developer contributions, NEF’s Hollie Wright shows, is too loose and needs clearer requirements and greater transparency. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/refo...

“Building more council homes in every part of the country will directly benefit those families in housing need. Those who are overcrowded or who need a smaller home. Those who are homeless and living in expensive and substandard private rented accommodation.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/02/how-...

“The cross-government strategy on ending homelessness has the potential to shift the focus away from the use of emergency accommodation as a sticking plaster, to a longer-term approach that prioritises providing people with settled homes as quickly as possible.” redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/10-y...

NEW | How can we address the current crisis in temporary accommodation? Crisis CEO Matt Downie sets out how more investment in social housing, improved data collection and a focus on prevention can ensure that temporary accommodation is truly temporary. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/05/10-y...

"The UK construction industry has faced a longstanding skills deficit, and this is expected to worsen as it prepares for one of the largest build programs since the post-war era." redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/04/cons... From @redbrickblog.bsky.social

NEW | A plan to boost skills in the construction industry to deliver 1.5m homes City building specialist Simon Barrow lays out what government, employers and educators need to do to address the skills shortage in construction. redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/04/cons...

NEW | Grey belt: the underestimated game-changer for housing @johnrmyers.bsky.social, Director of YIMBY Alliance, outlines the homes already being unlocked by Labour’s new reforms to low-quality ‘grey belt’ land redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/04/grey...

Hiding in plain sight - a massive carbon removal option - akin in size to CCS - but without cost to the taxpayer - my blog for Labour’s Red Brick: