Renters’ Rights Act 2025 implementation roadmap
Further to London Forum’s recent update on the Renters’ Rights Act, the Government has published a roadmap with detail on how the reforms will be phased.
It will mean the end of fixed-term tenancies and the abolition of section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions from 1st May 2026. The six-month wait means landlords looking to exit the sector may sell up before then, forcing out tenants and indirectly pushing up rents in the process.
In late 2026 there will be a database of all PRS properties.
Interactive member map
We’ve added a new interactive member map to appropriate web pages, based on membership data provided by societies. Try it out live here (the image in this article is necessarily a static screenshot for publication). You can zoom in, and click on any of the blobs representing societies – the size of which represents membership – and review the data we show, including clickable links to member websites – example illustrated.
If you spot errors in location (an approximation in a handful of cases), or the membership information, please let us know. … Read more...
Pathways to Planning
Joanna Averley, MHCLG Chief Planner, announced a programme to get graduate planners or surveyors into local authorities. Applications are now open. All graduates hired receive an educational bursary of £10,000 to help fund their part-time study while they work. Local authorities with high housing delivery and local plan requirements will be considered for salary bursaries of £40,000 when requesting a graduate planner.
A YouTube video about the scheme was issued.
Statutory Consultee reform
The Government has issued a consultation until 13th January 2026 on reform of the statutory consultee system.
This consultation covers the following proposals:
- removing statutory consultee status from certain bodies
- reviewing the scope of what statutory consultees advise on
- improving performance management across existing statutory consultee bodies in the planning system
Social and Affordable Homes Programme to 2036
Following the Government’s announcement of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme covered by an earlier update here, the Government has issued a letter to Councils.
It includes details of what is expected from local authorities but it withdraws the new low-interest loans scheme from Councils.
The Minister, Mathew Pennycook MP wrote “I appreciate fully that this news will come as a disappointment. However, having carefully considered the fiscal implications of extending the scheme to councils as well as to registered providers, we reluctantly arrived at the conclusion that it would not be possible.”
New Bakerloo Line ticket hall and lifts at Paddington
Sally Arnold describes in this video why a new Bakerloo line ticket hall at Paddington became possible, why the process was different from the way TfL often operates, the advantages and the challenges, and what benefits the changes bring to the public.
The value of UK’s UNESCO sites
Britain’s World Heritage UNESCO-designated sites cover 14% of the UK’s land area.
A study described here will pioneer new methodologies to understand their value not just in economic terms, but the wider value of local partnerships and collaboration. It should help communities defend the four World Heritage Sites in London by demonstrating their outstanding universal value for use in considering planning applications and other potential causes of harm.
A.R.S Progetti, leading the study, has worked across governance, cultural heritage, education, urban planning, and environmental management.
Inspiration for Community Action
The TCPA has resources for community groups to help make change happen at the local level.
See the various guides and case studies on their website here.
Please let London Forum have your comments on the TCPA facilities and on any local use made of them by completing our contact form.
Hounslow Council’s £240m gamble
A Conservative Councillor in LB Hounslow has challenged its Cabinet on the way in which the Council’s wholly owned company, the Lampton Group, has made £15 million in losses and has been loaned hundreds of millions by the local authority. He says it is leaving taxpayers exposed to mounting financial risk.
Councillor Jack Emsley’s report on this subject was published in a blog in The Chiswick Calendar website
Land Value Capture
The HCLG Committee announced here their Land Value Capture (LVC) report. There is a summary of its 77 pages. The full report covers the scope for LVC, reform to S.106, reform to CIL and the 1.5m housing target. Recommendations are from page 61.
An Epilogue criticises the Government’s Homes for London policy (See an earlier update). The GLA said (page 59) it can result in inflated land values and slow down delivery and the Committee sent a letter to Steve Reed MP.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Try a new search:
How to petition Parliament
Old Kent Road development – update
High Value Council Tax Surcharge
London Population’s Projected Growth: Patterns Across Boroughs
This is the second in a series of articles on London’s population, making use of the Office of National Statistics’ latest growth projections, published recently here. The focus is on variations across both inner and outer London boroughs.
Context: London and the rest of the country
London currently has a population of around 9.1 million, representing 15% of the total population of England and Wales. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has published its latest projections which show that London’s population is expected to have grown by 6.7% by 2032, to around 9.7 million.… Read more...
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How Effective is Planning Enforcement?
📆 Mon 29th June | 18:30 - 20:30
🚩 77 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6EL (map)
How can we make it work better? Planning enforcement is important. Unless it’s done effectively, the integrity of the whole planning system is put at risk. But it’s one of the most frustrating issues for civic societies and local community groups. We’ll discuss this and related issues at this Open Meeting on 29th June. Please book here ( https://www.londonforum.org.uk/events/how-effective-is-planning-enforcement#booking ) Cases typically include: Large developments that grossly fail to meet planning conditions or even submitted drawings and plans; Illegal demolitions; Unauthorised residential alterations and extensions; Additional floors…