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Nov/Dec Update – Devil in the Details
Hello all –
With the mixed news of the Autumn Statement still sinking in, the full implications will have to wait until the 17th December local government finance settlement. At first glance, transport and major regeneration projects come off reasonably well, while affordable housing delivery will continue to be a struggle.
It is clear that as central government continues to push responsibility down (see Jo Wilson’s piece on ‘the new Localism’ below) it is promoting the outright – and speedy – sale of public assets.
From recent events and conversations, it’s clear that much of FoL’s network is approaching this differently, working to stay self-sufficient by retaining assets that can provide long-term revenue; Alexei Schwab's case study on the Harrow Housing Zones is just one example. Let us know what you think, and mark your calendars for our 23rd June full-day conference on revenue generation.
In other news, FoL’s Housing Zones Network got off to a strong start (see below); our research into the Private Rented Sector and Business Improvement Districts continues; we're about to schedule three senior roundtables on estate renewal with Bilfinger GVA; and nominations are about to close for the January round of Future London Leaders – if you’ve been contacted about your space, or if you’d like to request one, please contact Visakha Sri Chandrasekera this week!
We also have a packet of welcomes – to new member Kent County Council, FoL’s first ‘beyond-the-line’ member; to incoming board directors Andy Donald, just appointed Chief Executive at LB Redbridge, and Richard de Cani, TfL’s Managing Director of Planning; to new Alumni Steering Group reps Jo Mortensen (LB Ealing) and Rachel George (LB Lewisham) and to new Leaders Coordinator/Team Admin Sabrina Belle, who joins us from member Peabody.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks to outgoing board director Michèle Dix, who’s passed the TfL baton in moving to Crossrail 2, and who will stay involved as an advisor and Leaders mentor.
To all of you, happy holidays from everyone at Future of London, and see you in the new year!
Lisa Taylor
Director
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Future of London has been tracking the progress and impact of the localism agenda since 2011. Our latest post looks at how practitioners view the impact of the Localism Act and related legislation, and what effect it has had in practice. Also on the website, we take stock of key localism measures to see what effect they're having four years on.
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Managing London's Exposure to Climate Change
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On 12th November, Future of London, University College London and Arup held a senior roundtable on assessing and improving the London public sector response to environmental risk. This was the first session in our 12-month research programme, Managing London’s Exposure to Climate Change – read the summary on our website.
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Our latest Housing Zones case study looks at Heart of Harrow, where Harrow council are integrating a commercial approach to regeneration with increased housing delivery. As well as making significant use of its own assets, Harrow also intends to build its own PRS housing to provide an ongoing income stream. Read the case study on our website.
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On 26th Nov, Future of London's new Housing Zones Network got underway with a session on managing complex programmes, where speakers from Argent, Crossrail, Haringey and Ealing shared their expertise. The next session is a GLA update on 17th Dec, followed by networking drinks. HZN members: RSVP to events@futureoflondon.org.uk
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