Homes England should “take more risk”, says review

Homes England should be allowed to “take more risk” to make its programmes easily accessible to SMEs, according to a review.

In a Public Bodies Review of the government’s housing and regeneration agency, commissioned by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, lead reviewer Tony Poulter stated that Homes England should be permitted to take a more risk-based approach to deliver more impact, not only to support smaller housebuilders, but to be "even bolder" in its role as master developer on large regeneration and placemaking schemes.

The review’s overall conclusion was that “England and the government need Homes England. It has the right powers and form, and most of the capability and tools to deliver better housing and better places”. But the review stated that “some changes” needed to be made to the agency to maximise its impact.

According to the publication, since 2020, Homes England had “very materially underdelivered and/or underspent against targets”, although it was noted this was "primarily" a result of external economic factors. But the scale of the shortfalls against targets had caused “tension” between the agency and DLUHC.

In its principal recommendations to DLUHC – in addition to the above …