Housebuilding is front of mind for the current government, but for councils, the pressure to deliver social and affordable homes has never really left. Rising demand, issues of housing quality and widening inequality make accelerating council housebuilding more important than ever. Communities need new homes that are genuinely affordable, councils want to build them, yet delivery on the ground remains difficult.
Local authorities are showing their ambitions by developing local plans that prioritise affordability, restructuring teams to strengthen development capacity and re-examining Housing Revenue Accounts. But ambition alone is not enough, and the system councils are operating in is more complex, financially constrained and politically sensitive than ever.
To overcome these obstacles, innovation is emerging in several areas. Councils are making better use of modern methods of construction, forming delivery partnerships and exploring new approaches to viability, pipeline planning and financial modelling. Some are combining climate ambitions with new-build programmes by designing homes that reduce future revenue pressure by lowering operational and retrofit costs. Others are reframing public conversations about new homes, shifting away from technical arguments and towards shared values such as fairness, stability and prosperity.
Despite this progress, the barriers remain stubbornly familiar. Skills shortages continue to slow the system.
Viability pressures driven by inflation, land values and procurement complexity are putting schemes at risk even when political support is strong. Governance and decision making structures are often not set up for the pace required to manage a pipeline. And at a time of significant financial stress, senior local authority leaders need clear, credible cases for investment to ensure that housing ambitions align with long term sustainability.
It's within this context that as part of the Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS), Local Partnerships and the Local Government Association are holding a webinar series across March and April exploring the enablers of successful council-led housebuilding, including: governance, finance, viability, workforce capacity, sustainability and public trust.
For councils looking to turn ambition into delivery, the series offers practical insight, peer learning and support at exactly the right moment. Sign up for free by going to localpartnerships.gov.uk/choss-spring-webinar-series.
CHoSS is fully funded by MHCLG, and offers free, wider housebuilding support to councils across England. Find out more at localpartnerships.gov.uk/choss
Michael O'Doherty is Director at Local Partnerships
