Executive Summary
This contains a three page synopsis of the report and a summary of its 10 recommendations. These include:
- An extension to the scale of prudential borrowing by local authorities for investment in new housing. If councils were allowed to borrow against their assets and freed of historic debt in the system, up to 300,000 additional homes could be built in the next 10 years.
- Local Plans to be updated and completed by every local authority as an absolute priority.
- A stream-lined, low-cost procurement and disposal process for surplus public land, to maximise delivery of affordable housing.
- Fresh investment to revitalize town centres, not least in response to the recent riots, applying a Town Centre first approach in planning policy.
- An urgent review of the potential to reintroduce technical colleges with day release courses, as a way to reconnect less academic young people with employment and training.
