Marley Miller
@marleygmiller.bsky.social
890 followers 630 following 62 posts
Associate Director, Politics and Public Policy, Global Counsel. Former economic advisor to Rachel Reeves and Treasury official. Posts mainly about housing, energy and economic policy
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marleygmiller.bsky.social
Amazing to see the government announce the National Housing Bank that we called for.

This could be a transformational tool for attracting private investment into affordable housing.

And will be key for delivering 1.5 million homes this Parliament.
marleygmiller.bsky.social
🏡Fantastic to see our proposal to give Homes England a new 'affordable housing bank' role in the Spending Review

This will be vital for attracting investment into affordable housing

And means the new £39bn Affordable Homes Programme can focus more on social rent homes to maximise affordability
Reposted by Marley Miller
marleygmiller.bsky.social
🚨New report with @homesfornorth calls on the government to adopt a novel approach to affordable housing investment:

Giving Homes England a ‘National Affordable Housing Bank’ role to invest alongside the private sector in funds set up to deliver discounted rent homes.

A 🧵on why this is needed:
marleygmiller.bsky.social
This is not a replacement for grant funding.

The model works for affordable rent homes for those on middle incomes.

This means more money from programmes like the Affordable Homes can be targeted on social rent – increasing housebuilding and overall affordability (12/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
Greater Manchester has also recently established similar approach to invest in housing for key workers.

💡The opportunity now is for the govt to scale this up to a national approach to ramp up housebuilding (11/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
This model has been used in Scotland

✅Every £1 govt invested has brought in £3-4 of private investment

✅1,200 homes will be built

✅Scot govt is expected to have loan paid back over 25yrs

✅Scottish National Investment Bank will make a positive return on investment (10/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
Under the fiscal rules, this kind of investment would be roughly FISCALLY NEUTRAL as the value of the projects would be counted as well as the cost.

The only cost would be on the discount offered on the loan vs HMT’s borrowing costs (9/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
To do this, Homes England should be given a “National Affordable Housing Bank” role:

With funding to invest in affordable housing funds if they can demonstrate they will deliver certain levels of affordable homes and can leverage wider private investment into projects (8/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
🪙The govt should use this change to invest in funds set up to deliver affordable housing at a low fiscal cost.

Using low-interest loans can turn market-rate rental housing into affordable rent.

Equity investment can attract private investment, incl from pension funds (7/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
However, at the Autumn Budget the government changed how it measures debt:

It now uses “Net Financial Debt” which considers the value of government financial investments as well as their cost (6/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
At the Spending Review the govt needs to consider how to target funding to boost housebuilding.

🤔BUT the Chancellor faces a particularly tough fiscal situation leaving limited room within the fiscal rules for the kind of investment needed using existing tools (5/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
The government’s planning reforms are a great start.

Higher housing targets will increase local authority ambition and the grey belt reforms will bring more land into the system.

Yet, the government is still forecast to fall short of its 1.5 million homes target (4/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
Housing associations face acute challenges.

High construction costs and new government safety/efficiency standards have required substantial investment in existing stock.

Many have had to halt their new build programmes, resulting in the largest fall in starts since 1978 (3/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
Housebuilding rates are at the lowest levels since the pandemic, due to high interest rates and increased borrowing costs.

40% fewer projects were started last year than the year before – with a similar number now as after the financial crisis (2/12)
marleygmiller.bsky.social
🚨New report with @homesfornorth calls on the government to adopt a novel approach to affordable housing investment:

Giving Homes England a ‘National Affordable Housing Bank’ role to invest alongside the private sector in funds set up to deliver discounted rent homes.

A 🧵on why this is needed:
marleygmiller.bsky.social
Very excited to be working with @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social @jujulemons.bsky.social and team to make the progressive case for growth as a fellow at the new Centre for British Progress @britishprogress.bsky.social
britishprogress.org
💫 We’re launching the Centre for British Progress

Our founding essay: Rediscovering British Progress is a case for growth that drives shared progress, rooted in Britain's values and industrial heritage.

It all starts with a postcard from 1870 👇

britishprogress.org/articles/red...
Cover of the essay Rediscovering British Progress available at https://britishprogress.org/articles/rediscovering-british-progress
Reposted by Marley Miller
jburnmurdoch.ft.com
NEW: updated long-run gap in voting between young men and women in Germany:

Gender divide continues to widen, but contrary to what is often assumed, young men continue to vote roughly in line with the overall population, while young women have swung sharply left.

www.ft.com/content/29fd...
Reposted by Marley Miller
neweconomics.bsky.social
We will never have a strong economy unless we invest seriously in our public services. When we are in unwell, poorly educated, or living in precarious, poor-quality housing, our lives suffer, our communities suffer - and we are less productive.
Screengrab from Guardian reading: Investment in UK’s crumbling public services is pro-growth, says pensions minister
Exclusive: Torsten Bell defends Labour’s spending plans, saying ‘the status quo is economically and morally bankrupt’
marleygmiller.bsky.social
Great to see increased weight put on affordability in latest tweaks to housing need formula - will direct house building to where it’s needed most.

Changes at regional level vs method consulted on are here.

Main point is that target is 9,000 higher in London and SE.
marleygmiller.bsky.social
Theo has tragically been diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia and desperately needs a stem cell transplant to survive - please sign up for the stem cell register to see if you’re a match and can help him. Any shares would be hugely appreciated.

www.dkms.org.uk/get-involved...
Get Theo Matched
Theo from Wales has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid leukaemia and urgently needs a stem cell transplant
www.dkms.org.uk
Reposted by Marley Miller
davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social
I have made a UK growth & progress starter pack! Let me know if you want to be added, or if I have missed anyone.

go.bsky.app/2AGSHqi
marleygmiller.bsky.social
🏗️ Labour’s clean energy mission and planning reforms are already speeding up infrastructure delivery.

✅ Infrastructure approvals are up 298% in October, driven by green energy projects

✅ Wider construction approvals up 59%

✅ Planning applications for new projects up 18%

tinyurl.com/4nhdta8u
Green energy projects drive rise in UK infrastructure approvals
Go-ahead for US$4.5 billion offshore floating wind farm helps bolster latest figures
tinyurl.com