The Local Government Association (LGA) Housing Commission was established to help councils deliver their ambition for places.
Councils understand that investment in housing has significant wider benefits. The right homes in the right areas enable people to live healthy and happy lives, driving growth for all and preventing public service challenges and costs. This means building homes that are affordable, that meet the diverse aspirations of communities and our ageing population, and that are well supported by the services and infrastructure.
The Local Government Association (LGA) Housing Commission was established to help councils deliver their ambition for places. It has been supported by a panel of advisers and has engaged with over 100 partners; hearing from councils, developers, charities, health partners, and many others. All partners agree that there is no silver bullet, and all emphasise the pivotal role of councils in helping provide strong leadership, collaborative working, and longer-term certainty for places and the people that live there.
At the LGA Annual Conference in July we published the preliminary findings from the commission. Since then we have sought to take forward solutions, we have been impressed and proud of the work underway in the sector, and encouraged by the initial response from the Government. The Autumn Statement's confirmation of additional investment and flexibility for councils to help build affordable homes, and to invest in infrastructure linked to housing growth both reflect central asks from the preliminary findings.
This final report sets out further detail, and sets out some of our key asks in advance of the Housing White Paper. The recommendations form the basis of our activity throughout 2017, and it will shape our investments in improvement and good practice work with councils looking to innovate in how they meet the housing needs of their communities.
We welcome the views of councils and all of our partners on the recommendations and issues explored in this paper, and on opportunities for future collaboration.
Email: [email protected]