Comment

Levelling up the regional imbalances in population growth and housing provision

There is growing acknowledgement of the need to tackle regional inequalities that exist throughout the UK – to accommodate the growth pressures of thriving regions and ensure the benefits of growth are felt in all parts of the country.

The independent UK2070 Commission was formally launched last October to review city and regional inequalities, and its first report – published in June – warned that these issues may become significantly worse unless drastic action is taken.

A second report published in September 2019 reinforced this message recognising the challenges faced as a result of short-term economic prospects and the long-term effects of climate change. The UK2070 second report calls for a ‘need to seize the moment and build support for a radical plan for action’.

The cross-party Treasury Select Committee launched its own inquiry into regional imbalances. The importance of addressing inequality was also addressed by the Prime Minister at his speech at the Conservative Party Conference. Here he set out a commitment to a ‘one nation project’, which would grow the UK economy ‘by raising the productivity of the whole of the UK…’ recognising that ‘…opportunity is not evenly distributed…and because that is the way to release the economic potential of the whole country.’

In this context, The Peel Group has sponsored Turley to produce research into regional imbalances in population growth and housing provision in England. It was commissioned to:

• Draw attention to the scale of these imbalances and the impact they have in compounding and widening existing inequalities;
• Examine the sufficiency of the Government’s current and planned responses; and
• Recommend reforms to boost housing delivery to achieve the 300,000 homes needed each year and support an economy that works for all parts of the country.

Our report includes a series of recommendations which set out our thoughts on the structural changes which are required, principally through the planning system, to achieve a meaningful and long-term improvement to the balance of growth and opportunity nationally.

For further information on the research and related issues around planning for future population growth and housing provision please contact Antony Pollard or Andrew Lowe.

5 August 2019

This article was updated on 22 October 2019 to reflect publication of a second UK2070 report.