If there is one common question that will face every local authority in the coming year, it is how to build the housing this country needs. There is no doubt that lifting the strict cap allowing councils to borrow against their Housing Revenue Account (HRA) has the potential to transform housing delivery. But there have been big questions around councils’ ability to deliver after decades of not building homes and, after some recent high profile failures, how best to carry out much-needed regeneration. 

We know that we need well-designed homes that are genuinely affordable and meet local need. In the capital, we are also under increasing pressure due to the Mayor’s latest housing targets. But it is clear that there is no single magic way to increase housing supply. So, what can we do?