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Brian Robson

@brianrobson.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1K following 560 posts

I want more people to live in a decent, affordable home. Don't you? Work: Director Housing & Homelessness, @oak-foundation.bsky.social Dad, bookworm, sedate cyclist | Mackem in North Yorks | Views mine.

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · Nov 18

👋 Hello to new followers. My feed is shaping up into a nice mix of people I knew at the other place and new friends I haven't met yet.

Expect housing, homelessness and the joys of living in Yorkshire. Also interested in politics, philanthropy, and regional development.

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 7d

£60m for a fully operational 12km railway within 30months(!)

Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 7d

As the new B23 rolling stock heads out into passenger service on London's Docklands Light Railway - DLR - a look back to a c.1985 brochure issued by the 'turnkey' project of GEC-Mowlem who designed & constructed the initial system that opened in 1987. #london #transport

flic.kr/p/2rwApJU

Docklands Light Railway : project brochure : GEC - Mowlem Railway Group : nd [c.1985] : cover. A brochure issued by the GEC-Mowlem Railway Group, undated but likely to be c.1985 as illustrations are used rather than the 'finished product', and that appears to have been given away at the IVA 1988 Railway trade show in Hamburg, Germany, as I acquired it with a batch of brochures from that event. The Docklands Light Railway - DLR - was constructed as a 'turnkey' project by GEC, who provided the vehicles, and Mowlem's who did the civil engineering; the Group was also supported by W.S. Atkins who undertook the detail design.

The cover shows an aerial view of the old Docklands area and the River Thames with the proposed line in red.

Docklands Light Railway : project brochure : GEC - Mowlem Railway Group : nd [c.1985] : scan 2.
This scan of two pages describes the project and the delivery group. It includes an 'artist's impression' of one of the units. Also shown are the 'computer control centre' such as would run the system and a man usuing a computer to design the project.

Docklands Light Railway : project brochure : GEC - Mowlem Railway Group : nd [c.1985] : scan 3. This page shows a system map of the proposed railway along with possible extensions as well as "advantages" to the owner and operator of such a system developed under this management method. There is also a photo of the new viaducts taking shape in a then open area of dockland with a bridge spanning one of the old Docks.

Docklands Light Railway : project brochure : GEC - Mowlem Railway Group : nd [c.1985] : scan 4. The final scan shows a side on impression of one of the original two car units that were destined to have a relatively short operational life in London for various reasons; expansion to three-car units as well as the requirement for different door access/egress for units on the tunnelled extension to Bank saw them withdrawn with many sold to Essen, Germany, where some still operate on Stadtbahn and tramway services. Upper left is an artists impression of a section across a new elevated viaduct station wit many passengers and pedestrians milling around.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 8d

FWIW my own GP surgery makes it easy to book a telephone appointment online (though can be some time off). Getting beyond that is the difficult part.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 8d

GPs in England are threatening to take action over government plans to increase patients’ online access to appointments << God forbid citizens get access to the healthcare they're entitled to, eh? www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

GPs in England threaten action over online appointment booking plan

Doctors’ union says GPs will be overwhelmed by ‘triage tsunami’ and gives ministers 48 hours to take measures

www.theguardian.com

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 9d

D66 ahead of VVD is, er, interesting, and some would say exactly what one of them deserves...

Reposted by Brian Robson

Pete Apps @peteapps.bsky.social · 9d

Can't think of many better illustrations of how badly we have botched housing policy than the fact that our bill for housing homeless families (£2.8bn pa) is now higher than the money we spend each year on new affordable housing (£2.3bn)

www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/english...

English councils’ temporary accommodation bill rises to £2.8bn

Councils in England spent a record £2.8bn on temporary accommodation last year, with the annual bill rising by 25% as the homelessness crisis deepens.

www.insidehousing.co.uk

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 9d

Both..? Expect Steve Reed has achieved want he wanted from it. But maybe a hard hat with the same message would have been more construction related and less open to trans-Atlantic links.

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Reposted by Brian Robson

Ben Twomey @bentwomeyuk.bsky.social · 9d

Pleased to be part of so many conversations around housing at #LabourConference.

This morning I’ve asked questions of MPs @lukemurphy.bsky.social, @florenceeshalomi.bsky.social, Joe Powell and Londons Deputy Mayor @tomcopley.bsky.social about renters’ rights and the cost of renting.

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 9d

Good listen on +ve findings of a pilot to provide cash rental assistance in Philadelphia.

Of course, UK has direct-to-tenant cash assistance : Local Housing Allowance. But ongoing freezes mean it's lost touch with real rents and risks becoming less effective unless uprated at Autumn Statement...

Shane Phillips @shanedphillips.bsky.social · Aug 27

Our latest UCLA Housing Voice episode is with Vincent Reina, discussing findings from a direct-to-tenant cash assistance program in Philadelphia, PHLHousing+. Reduced evictions, homelessness, and housing quality problems — and no unused vouchers! Give it a listen: www.lewis.ucla.edu/2025/08/27/9...

Episode 96: Direct-to-Tenant Rent Assistance with Vincent Reina - UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

UPenn's Vincent Reina discusses research on a new pilot program that gives tenants direct cash assistance rather than a regular housing voucher.

www.lewis.ucla.edu

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 10d

Thought that was an interesting tell in the Starmer donkey nonsense. Back in 1996 ' I was a lawyer, I had quite a lot of money, I bought a field for £20,000'. Wonder if someone from Starmer's background in the same career today would feel *quite* so flush.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 10d

And I particularly enjoyed this line…

‘I am certainly not without sympathy for the occasional frustrations of being a deputy leader’ 🔥🔥🔥

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 10d

This is a terrific book review - Nicola Sturgeon a great choice of reviewer for this particular book. observer.co.uk/culture/book...

Kamala Harris has no lessons for the Democrats – or herself

In 107 Days, her despair-inducing account of the 2024 presidential election, Harris is uninterested in the true causes of her defeat, and unable to offer...

observer.co.uk

Reposted by Brian Robson

Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 11d

The Greater London Authority is drawing up plans to lower the proportion of affordable homes developers must provide when trying to fast-track planning, in a bid to spur housebuilding in the capital.

www.ft.com/content/dab0...

London considers lowering affordable homes target to spur house building

Developers complain that 35% goal is too high and makes schemes unviable

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Brian Robson

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 11d

this is the housing market but at least we're investigating what happened to amelia earhart

A home in San Jose is listed for $500k. 2 beds and 1 bath on a 2,720 square foot lot.

220 770 5.1K

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 11d

I mean, those cobbles look arduous.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 11d

I mean, who among us hasn’t fantasised about spending £1800 per month to live above a pet shop?

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 12d

That's a fair point.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 12d

her surname seems to be spelt incorrectly throughout that announcement 🙄

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 12d

And no elected GM Assembly asking Burnham tricky questions in public in the way that Sadiq Khan has to face Zack Polanski, Susan Hall etc regularly (and see clips on local news, social media etc)

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 13d

Finished @samfr.bsky.social's book this week. Which is excellent. And this passage -about govts trapped in a Comms game they can't win - feels particularly important.

A passage from Sam Freedman's book Failed State. It says politicians are trapped in a (comms) game they cannot win and calls for prioritising policy over communications.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 13d

"needless" in a county with some of the least affordable housing outside the South East and what the (Conservative) council acknowledges is a "chronic lack of affordable housing".

My comment was one of the two in support.

Build it yesterday.

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 13d

Outline planning application has gone in for large (484 home) site near us, which is in the local plan.

89 public comments so far, 83 of which are objections.

My favourite line "To quote CPRE, our land should not be needlessly sacrificed in the name of growth" 🙄

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 14d

New reports calculate how many homes the UK needs, but we must recognise the scale of the challenge, writes @annaclarke.bsky.social, director of policy and public affairs at The Housing Forum #UKhousing www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/late...

Latest housing research: is the 1.5 million homes target ambitious enough, and what will it take to achieve?

New reports calculate how many homes the UK needs, but we must recognise the scale of the challenge, writes Anna Clarke, director of policy and public affairs at The Housing Forum.

www.insidehousing.co.uk

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Reposted by Brian Robson

Jennifer Williams @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 15d

Nothing in this acknowledges the economic reality of why many brownfield sites don’t get away as housing: they’re not financially viable unless someone (usually us, in some form) pays for them to be cleaned up and made ready

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 15d

Almost 1.5m homes could be built on brownfield sites in England, report finds

Exclusive: CPRE study suggests housebuilding targets can be met without encroaching on green belt land Almost 1.5m new homes could be built on brownfield sites in England to avoid encroaching on green belt and meet the government target for housing growth by the end of this parliament, new figures suggest. But despite the scale of brownfield land available, developers are pushing to build on green land, including increased housebuilding on and adjacent to areas of outstanding natural beauty. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 15d

But the site has to have a future - Hudds is a university town, somewhere that's <30mins from Leeds and Manchester city centres, and the views were canny too, as I remember.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 15d

When housing leaders in the North of England want to show Westminster policy wonks that regeneration matters, they take them to Buxton House. www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/how-... < really good piece from @hannahfearn.bsky.social this. I've been to Buxton House and it's grim.

How to restart regeneration

What is stopping regeneration projects from getting off the ground? Hannah Fearn finds out. This is part of Inside Housing’s new series called Spotlight on Regeneration.

www.insidehousing.co.uk

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