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Vote Blue, go Green. Remember that promise? First used heavily by David Cameron, then refreshed by the current PM in the Conservative 2019 manifesto, the pledge to support ‘green’ policies with a Tory vote will be tested once again during the summer hustings for the new leader. 

The next PM has a duty to deliver on the 2019 manifesto until the next General Election is called, so there is likely another two years of wrestling with divergent pressures: the cost of living, energy bills, energy profits and the fate of green taxes currently costed into our utility bills. The two candidates have some differences for sure, but neither is taking a bold stance on net zero, decarbonisation, our homes and energy, our workforce and skills – and neither is close to doing enough, so we’ve dedicated some Autumn events to the role of housing in creating Good Green Jobs.

Summer is here, and if you’re missing PMQs, you’ll be delighted that the race to be the next Prime Minister involves several hurdles, with TV debates plus 12 regional and online hustings events taking place throughout August. Pity the next Prime Minister? Maybe, there’s a heap of exceptionally complicated and precipitous issues to face. No PM holds all the levers to sort them out and may get booted out at the next General Election (bets still on for May 24).

Time is fast running out for initial plans on UKSPF to reach DLUHC. Local Investment Plan (LIP) proformas are required by DLUHC from each UKSPF lead authority by 1^st August. In reality, many lead authorities are submitting early and getting sign-off from their leaders now, to hit the deadline.

It’s been a busy time for social housing news and legislation. Five years after the Grenfell Tower fire and two weeks since Prince Charles’ delivery of the Queen’s Speech, the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill came to the new Parliament. The Bill was presented to the House of Lords by Lord Greenhalgh, and the Second Reading is scheduled for 27^th June.

Communities that Work welcomes new member: BME London Landlords

We’re delighted to announce that BME London Landlords has joined Communities that Work. BME London Landlords (14) members collaborate to optimise impact, improving and advocating for better services provided to their residents and wider BME communities.

BME London Landlords is also one of the key names behind the Social Housing Anti-Racism Pledge (SHARP). Developed in partnership with BME National and The Housing Diversity Network, the SHARP initiative calls on all registered social landlords to adopt an anti-racist stance by adopting a clear policy that states their organisation is anti-racist.

Go the distance on UKSPF:

UKSPF Investment Plans are now in the drafting process. Whilst lead authorities don’t have too long to draft these (deadline 1^st August) and need to ‘go fast’, they also need to create credible three-year plans and show partnerships to unlock their funding, to prove they can ‘go far’. It’s these dual priorities that UKSPF leads are dealing with, and the social housing sector must quickly stake a claim to be named in local investment plans.

UKSPF Framework hatches!

Even UKGov accepts that Spring has arrived, and with it, the UKSPF Framework promised in this season is now out.

Published during the pre-election period (purdah) in the run-up to local elections on 5^th May, perhaps DLUHC is hoping that local funding news, delivered by local authorities, will translate to votes at the ballot box. Maybe not, and DLUHC simply knew that they had to get this guidance out without further delay to give UKSPF lead authorities a fighting chance to get plans together to spend the funds this year at all.

We know that issues on the governance of UKSPF in Scotland and Wales were causing delays on UKSPF at DLUHC, and whilst there is still much to argue about, we have at last the core information needed to start to plan UKSPF in England.

Can ‘Levelling Up’ policies change the prevailing tide of UK society that’s been rolling since World War 2?

With the UKSPF Framework still not published - the Government says it’s coming ‘in Spring’, which could be next week, could be after the 5^th May local elections, could be 1^st June – how is the levelling up project faring so far?

Communities that Work meets the Minister for Welfare Delivery, David Rutley MP:

“You should be proud of what you’re doing and what you’re achieving.”

Last week, Communities that Work were invited to meet the (relatively) new Minister for Welfare Delivery, David Rutley MP. We didn’t go alone. Joined by a cross-section of our members from across the country, we delivered a rapid overview of the fantastic work social housing does to support people into work and the support given to people on Universal Credit.

Roll up, roll up, level up: New Levelling Up Directors coming to a place near you.

• Must be powerful, local, high-profile.
• Must speak for a place’s needs in Whitehall.
• Must negotiate on behalf of local leaders in all government departments (not just BEIS and DLUHC).
• Must make sure policies are joined up.

Let’s get closer: Calls grow for UKSPF local leaders to work with housing on Local Investment Plans (LIPs)

Communities that Work has called for greater partnership and collaboration between social housing landlords and local UKSPF leaders across England at the annual joint conference held with the Learning and Work Institute this week.

As a sector and as local housing providers, we must encourage local UKSPF leads to understand the social housing offer and how we can deliver within the overall UKSPF theme of ‘pride in place’. UKSPF lead authorities must produce local Investment Plans to unlock the investment awarded to their areas. Social housing is a critical lead partner to reach communities through our links, community spaces, building assets, and staff expertise.

Can we bridge the employment and skills gap? Challenging news on UKSPF in England followed the Levelling Up White Paper's publication last week. After skimming through 400 pages, a much briefer note on UKSPF popped up from DLUHC, confirming lead authorities for the fund and setting out broad objectives for the fund in the first three budgeted years. Whilst the full investment Framework isn’t out until Spring (probably at the budget on 23^rd March) a clearer direction for lead authorities has now been set. Many good and varied parts of levelling up are included, but UKSPF won’t support employment and skills projects in England until 2024/5. 

Any job, Better job, Career. This mantra for getting people back into work has been popular with governments for a long time. Tony Blair’s New Labour government ran with it. Matthew Taylor (his no.10 policy director) stated his belief in it at our first joint conference with the Learning and Work Institute only three years ago. Yesterday, Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey backed it again.

You’ll have noticed that it’s 2022 now, and the long-expected Levelling Up White Paper (LUWP) and UK Shared Prosperity Fund Framework remains under wraps. Michael Gove will front this 100-page document, but the entire DLUHC Ministerial team are behind it, as the key social policy coming from a key Government department between now and the general election; aiming to make good on many manifesto promises made in December 2019. Bets are on for the week 17^th, 24^th or even the 31^st January for publication.

When does a party not feel like a party? When it’s the Conservative party, perhaps, after what we classically describe as a bruising time for the PM, no.10 and it’s Communications leads. Tory MPs from all party factions are upset with the PM, some seeing him as reckless, rule-breaking, lackadaisical. The PM is too old for insouciance but risks looking like a youthful, bullish PM in the Spring of his career, not befitting this stage of his premiership or the winter of covid discontent we’re in.

The much anticipated Levelling Up White Paper (LUWP) is expected to publish before Christmas, with all bets on for week 6^th December OR week 13^th December.  However, the PM is in the midst of political firefighting driven by factors that are not yet under control and external events always steer the course and set priorities at no.10. 

UKCRF: Calling all housing partners listed in successful Community Renewal Fund bids. Drop us a line here @CtW. UKCRF bid winners are confirmed. The full list is here and CRF projects will run from now to the extended deadline of the end of June 2022. CRF is described as the forerunner of SPF and we want to build a bank of intelligence and experience from our Communities that Work membership from today.  

£150 billion windfall gives the Chancellor what he needs.

You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find, you get what you need. Rishi Sunak could have hummed this tune on route to deliver the Budget last week.   He can’t have the low taxes he wants, and the PM hasn’t got his high wage economy either, but the OBR handed £150 billion back to forecasts, which brought about a pre-Christmas spending spree from HMT.

What do we want? More Mayors!
When do we want them? Now!
This isn’t a direct quote, more an impression taken from an address by our new leader at DLUHC. It’s quite easy to paraphrase the address, as when Michael Gove was asked in a fringe session at conservative party conference if he wanted to see more mayors, he just said ‘Yes’.

From Teesside to Manchester, Gove goes North
The new Secretary of State at the new Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was fast off the blocks and on the move in his first few days in the job. He went straight to the site of the largest new freeport, dropped into a biosciences lab, and ended at a towns funded area where homes, transport and jobs were on the agenda. 

Shuffling and Spending
The Prime Minister has a new, longer catch phrase: build back better post pandemic.  He used it as he wielded the axe in last weeks’ Cabinet reshuffle, which saw Robert Jenrick out and Michael Gove in at the (newly named) Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.. There’s a new Minister for Levelling Up as ‘rising star’ Kemi Badenoch MP takes on the job and retains her Equalities brief.