The government has welcomed the publication of the Public Bodies Review into Homes England, which looks into whether the organisation is focused on the right objectives.
It was found that Homes England plays a vital role in the delivery of the government’s housing, regeneration, and levelling up priorities as it supports local leaders, affordable housing providers, and the private sector. All of this is done with aim of supporting place-making, as well as delivering on regeneration plans across communities. Over the course of the last five years, this work has included:
- Supporting the development of more than 186,400 new homes
- Unlocking new land that could support the delivery of almost 400,000 additional new homes
- Assisting more than 252,000 households as they get onto the housing ladder.
The review also found that development in urban and new settlement areas are being benefitted by Homes England’s ‘unique’ expertise, capability, and capacity.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove said:
“Today’s independent report shows Homes England is the right vehicle to deliver more affordable homes and support our plans to regenerate towns and cities across the country.
“I welcome the report and its recommendations, and we will work closely with Homes England to finalise an implementation plan. This builds on our long-term plan for housing to further strengthen Homes England’s record of delivery so we can deliver more homes that are affordable, beautiful, and built in the right places.”
A number of recommendations have been made following on from the report, with these ranging from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities deciding on the funding balance between regeneration and placemaking for Homes England, to how the organisation’s executive leadership should implement sustainability and design commitments across its work.
Peter Freeman, Chief Executive of Homes England, also commented on the review, saying:
“I’m proud the review acknowledges the hard work, talent and passion of our staff and partners throughout a challenging time for the market and sector.
“The report makes clear we have a crucial role to play in catalysing local regeneration and housing delivery by using or land, powers, funding, and expertise – reducing risk to drive investment and harnessing the potential of private and public sector skills, capital, and partnerships. Bringing all of these elements together means we are greater than the sum of our parts as a collective force to deliver effective change.
“Place-based work is central to this mission and well underway in numerous places, from Bradford, Bristol and Birmingham to Newcastle, Liverpool, and Plymouth. By 2025 we expect to have entered into six strategic place partnerships with combined authorities, serving a combined population of more than 13 million people.”
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