A tragedy this week cast light on what is fast emerging as a national crisis.
The sad death of Sir Simon Milton, perhaps London’s most able politician, is a stark reminder of just how effective a strong civic leader can be.
Tributes poured in after his passing from politicians – red and blue, local and national – from the property industry and from many, many others (see p34). He was described by those who had shared a negotiating table with him as a visionary leader, a consummate policy maker and a great supporter of London.
“He could magic tens of millions from the flintiest developers, to pay for more affordable housing,” his boss, London mayor Boris Johnson, wrote in the London Evening Standard. “He had the tact to persuade world-famous architects to lop many storeys off their latest proposals, for the sake of protecting London’s views, and without unduly ruffling their feathers.”
Not many other civic leaders have the skill, tact, experience and indeed ambition to do so. Asking around for the names of others this week resulted in a list of perhaps one: Manchester’s Sir Howard Bernstein.
At a time when UK development faces one of its biggest challenges – the need to tackle the tension that exists between the public and private sectors – this dearth of strong, sensible leaders will cost us dear.
Berkeley Group chairman Tony Pidgley raised it as an issue at this week’s BPF/Movers & Shakers breakfast in London. Incoming BPF president Toby Courtauld acknowledged its importance too. And at events from London to Leeds in recent weeks this tension, and this lack of leadership, has been cited as an obstacle to recovery time and time again.
It’s not all the public sector’s fault. There is a mutual suspicion between developer and official that lingers, fuelled most recently by the private finance initiative.
Launched by the last Tory government and expanded by Labour, it saw private contractors alone benefit from any upside on a deal with the government left red-faced.
As a result, too often the public sector views corporates as pillagers without conscience. And too often the private sector views politicians and officials as second rate. Both need to revise their views.
There are already tools in place to speed up this new open-minded thinking. Changes to affordable housing regulations will help, as will efforts to simplify change-of-use. But the tool with the most potential is the power of general competence.
Removing constraints to allow visionary leaders to work with partners to deliver economic regeneration and tackle social deprivation, it is as close to a magic bullet as we are likely to see – provided central government resists tinkering.
To work effectively, it requires more private sector visionaries like Tony Pidgley, who is already working with the Homes and Communities Agency on a second residential joint venture. And in the public sector, we need more Sir Simons.
A new breed of civic leader and new terms of engagement between the private and public sectors would be the most fitting tribute to Sir Simon of all.
n Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Estates Gazette Regional Awards. The victors in the property company and advisor categories in each of the nine regions are named on page 105. Congratulations to Savills and Land Securities for bagging the most gongs, four and two respectively.
Thanks too to our readers who voted in their droves – more than 7,000 of you contributed to the end result.
For the first time this year, advisers had to submit entries making their case as well as client testimonials.
These are available at wordpress.egi.co.uk.
