Yesterday, 1.5M New Homes: The Local Government Challenge (sponsored by Red Loft) hosted their first in person event- a roundtable discussion on unlocking housing delivery.

The discussion explored four key themes:

1. What's working: The national ambition to build 1.5 million new homes is already having a positive impact- boosting confidence among councils and energising developer partnerships. We heard how local authorities are fostering a problem-solving culture and recognising the need for collaboration across departments, from planning to social services.

2. Barriers and fixes: It wasn't long before the Building Safety Regulator came up- highlighting the real-world complexity councils face in balancing ambition with compliance.

3. Collaboration opportunities: Councils around the table described a cultural shift- toward partnerships-seeking, shared risk and joint delivery. These aren't just good intentions, they're operational changes.

4. Local levers: We asked, "What can councils and their partners do now, irrespective of further Government action?" The answers were practical, confident, and rooted in lived experience.

The findings from this roundtable will be synthesised into a 'suggested actions' report for MHCLG, drawing directly from the experiences of those at the 'coalface' of housing delivery.

Red Loft is proud to sponsor the campaign and we have already captured a number of valuable insights from councils across the country.

The roundtable was highly constructive, offering a valuable opportunity for Local Authorities and private sector partners to engage in meaningful dialogue around the key challenges facing the housing sector.

We're encouraged by the collaborative spirit and the practical solutions shared to help inform future policy discussions with MHCLG.