Nick is part of a group of Labour Parliamentarians who today published online at http://www.labourfuture.net/ a set of essays outlining fresh thinking about the challenges that confront Britain in the years ahead.

Nick’s essay, ‘The Housing Policy of the Future’, argues for a commitment to inclusive and economically diverse communities in place of the social segregation that characterised much 20th century housing. He emphasises that the role of the state should not be that of monopoly provider of social housing, but rather the promoter of public/private partnerships that offer tenure diversity and greater opportunities for people to obtain housing appropriate to their needs and aspirations at different stages of their lives. This will require greater flexibility in the scope for moving between different types of tenure (even in the same home). It will also depend on stimulating more investment in the construction and renovation of housing and improvements in its energy performance. This calls for intelligent regulation of both lending and standards, as well as the encouragement of new entries to the housebuilding industry.