Delivery is only possible with a ‘can-do’ attitude

COMMENT: With ministers consumed by Brexit, there’s an opportunity for local government to secure what central government cannot deliver: progressive reform that results in better partnerships with the private sector. That’s if it can get its own house in order. All that stands in the way are can’t-do councils, narrow agendas and corrosive public cynicism. Nothing new in the diagnosis there, but perhaps something new emerged in the prescription at this week’s Conservative Party conference. The second of two party conference dinners hosted by Mishcon de Reya, the London Communications Agency and EG was tellingly different to the first. At last week’s Labour bash in Liverpool, councillors demanded clarity over the language of regeneration, but in Birmingham this week solutions were high on the agenda. A reflection of party politics? Probably not, implementation was a consideration last week too. But the fact the Labour event was dominated by councils and this week’s by developers helped ensure debate cut to the commercial quick. There are plenty of councils – and regional public bodies – that don’t have a can’t-do attitude. The West Midlands Combined Authority – the executive arm of mayor Andy Street – is among them. “We try not to talk to government,” says chief executive Deborah Cadman. “We just do it and it’s a case of catch us if you can.” Language and definition matters to Cadman too. She stresses that too often regeneration is seen only through the lens of housing. To be meaningful it has to encompass skills, transport and everything else that builds cohesive communities. And it has to be holistic, with no narrow agendas. “You can see parts of government creating policies that are in complete juxtaposition to other parts of government,” she says. To Peter Rogers, chairman of the New West End Company, it is this shortsightedness of Westminster and Whitehall that results in poor policy. He points to business rates as a prime offender: forcing businesses to shut in parts of the country, costing jobs, hurting the tax take, costing benefits and damaging communities. “Urban renewal is about vision and opportunity,” he says. “You have to create a vision of something that’s more exciting.” Dirty words So is regeneration, the exam question put to both gatherings, a dirty word? Pointing to Trinity Leeds and Westgate Oxford – exemplary examples of regeneration of city centres supported by local authorities – Landsec chief executive Rob Noel says other projects would not fare so well. “As soon as homes get involved, the whole thing becomes toxic,” he comments. If regeneration has become a dirty word for some communities, especially London, and too easily associated with gentrification, then toxicity – or “corrosive cynicism in the system” as Arup chief economist Alex Jan puts it – holds back developers and investors as it adds to risk. “If the government wants Landsec to build more homes then that makes it less risky for people like us,” says Noel. “Private capital is like a raindrop. It follows the path of least resistance.” Joy Morrissey, who put housing at the heart of an unsuccessful campaign to win the Conservative London mayoralty candidate, was also at the dinner. She says there needs to be “a connector” that looks at the impact of policy. “We need there to be thinking outside the box and someone taking responsibility,” she says. And there needs to be creative thinking too: “We’re seeing innovation all over England apart from in London. Pat Hayes [of Barking & Dagenham’s housing vehicle Be First] is the only one doing things at scale. I want to see more social housing being built but we have to have partnerships.” Ironically it is Brexit that may offer hope and an opportunity to address this once and for all. “It is a great opportunity to make a change in the way England is governed,” says Tony Travers of the London School of Economics. With a can-do attitude, it is. To send feedback, e-mail damian.wild@egi.co.uk or tweet @DamianWild or @estatesgazette