COMMENT This year I attended the Conservative and Labour political party conferences for the first time in a long time. The reason for this is a simple one – for the first time in nearly a decade, the main political parties seem once again prepared to work with business to solve the problems our nation faces. This presents an opportunity for our sector to contribute meaningfully.
The big focus of my time there was pressing the case for planning reform – and particularly pushing the proposals we have developed with British Land and the Berkeley Group to unlock brownfield urban regeneration.
There was no shortage of panels and fringes discussing these themes and I was pleased to see some of the core ideas we have developed being picked up in those discussions and in recent policy announcements from both parties.
Offering solutions
Overall, the exercise was a useful one with three key takeaways that we are reflecting on as a business, and are useful food for thought for our sector.
The first is that both parties are looking for people to bring solutions – and they want to partner with businesses that understand what they are trying to achieve
While both parties clearly have a sense of their overall policy direction, their business engagements were clearly hunting for specific solutions, things that can be easily adopted and work for multiple interests, rather than favouring one audience over another. They have also been setting out frameworks through which they intend to shape policy.
By listening to how the Conservative government is framing its challenges and by taking the time to understand how Labour’s five missions come together, our sector can shape the right package of measures that aligns our industry with a future government’s own needs.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the stated desire to drive economic growth, and how both parties increasingly recognise the central role the real estate sector can play in doing so.
Getting things done
The second is that they both have a sense of urgency around the need to get things done. Now, some might say that it is too late from the current government but the sense I got from my engagement at the Conservative conference was that they are keen to have an impact ahead of the general election.
That means the right policies could be implemented much more rapidly than normal. Similarly, the Labour party is not yet convinced on the scale of the majority it might win and is looking for solutions that can be implemented without parliamentary time or that require primary legislation.
I was frequently asked: “What would you do immediately? And what would you do if you had three years?” In many instances, our industry is ahead of government policy – take for example the progress that has been made on the journey to achieving net zero. Our sector has demonstrated its ability to move at pace when dealing with challenges, and deliver the change needed. Our task now is to continue to show how that ability can support the next government’s growth ambitions.
Fortunately, our brownfield urban regeneration proposals are built with this in mind, with the vast majority of recommendations deliverable without significant funding or indeed parliamentary time.
Both parties appear to have absorbed this, with Michael Gove’s commitment to create a ‘super planning squad’ and Labour’s commitment to act by writing to chief planners in the first days of a new Labour government.
Making the case
The final thing to say is that we are not the only industry pushing its case. These are noisy events because of multiple interests all trying to achieve the same thing. Staying front of mind as a sector is going to be a challenge – particularly as we get closer to the general election and the first 100 days of the next government. Indeed, we do not just have to stay front of mind, we also need to broaden an understanding of what our sector can deliver beyond just housing.
The current indications are that we could see a general election in October 2024. A year may seem like a long way off, but things will start to speed up from here on in.
Both parties are clearly getting themselves ready for the big campaign to come. As a sector we must continue to engage, to demonstrate how we are a critical partner to anyone serious about creating more growth, more homes and more jobs.
Mark Allan is chief executive of Landsec
