After work last Friday, I went to the Pier Head Tavern. Upon arrival I ordered two pints in the style of Jack and Victor from Still Game. That’s because there were only two of us in the, normally bustling, bar. Why was it so quiet? Yet again the ferries to Arran were off. Waiting for the boat is like waiting for Keir Starmer’s new homes. The powers that be want to do good things but something always trips them up.
The Tories sold off the ports to companies that haven’t looked after them properly. So, it can be tough for the boats to get in and out. In much the same way the Right to Buy ploughs on in England. So, we have fewer homes.
On top of that Mrs Thatcher shut shipyards. The Scottish government has made a heroic attempt to get the industry started again. Many of you will be familiar with the delays and spiralling costs of new ferries. No doubt some of that’s incompetence. But you try starting an industry from scratch all over again. It won’t be plain sailing.
There’s also lots of moaning about the speed of housebuilding in England. Yes, I’m frustrated too. But you can’t just flick a switch. And there are risks with being too gung-ho. You can spend many unhappy hours on TikTok watching videos of dismal new build homes, and we see the rotten satisfaction figures for shared owners in new flats. The adage about walking before you can run springs to mind.
At one time factory homes were the answer. But the production lines seem to be shutting down left, right and centre. Ironically, I stay in a 1970s factory home in Scotland. Trust me, if they can withstand the wind and rain here, they can survive anywhere.
Sooner or later the right people with the right techniques will sort out the ferries and homes shortage. That’s the lesson of history. Lord Beaverbrook transformed Spitfire production. As Austin Gray puts it, Beaverbrook’s trademark was: “Find a mess, smash through the polite obstacles, and will results into being. To bureaucrats he was reckless; to production workers he was a saviour. And to the RAF pilots he was…the difference between life and death.”
Beaverbrook himself diced with death. Only a last-minute change of plan kept him off a flight that crashed on Arran in 1941 killing all on board. Back then, war was the galvanising force we united behind. We might need to return to that mindset. Of course, foreign policy will be front of mind for the government. It’s got to be. But don’t ignore the home front. That’s where opponents will pounce. And we know that changing leaders or parties brings one thing – more delay.
Young people can’t get homes. Families are stuck in temporary accommodation for years, miles from where they are from. So much for the new world we were going to get after Covid! You can’t pull the nation together with a ‘homes for heroes afterwards’ line.
Yet, as Ms Rachel says to my grandson about 20 times a day – you can do hard things. Look at the Thames Tideway. We built a 25km sewage tunnel under London more or less on time and to budget. Only a defeatist would say we cannot build more homes.
I may be the person that wanders around the most social housing in the UK. It’s depressing. I’m looking at estates that needed refurbishment 30 years ago and they still do. As the RSH forces landlords to do surveys, we know more about these homes than ever. But identifying an issue isn’t the same thing as solving it. Similarly, strategies sound grand but do not butter any parsnips.
A latter-day Beaverbrook must quickly pore over the data to identify the cash required to fix estates. Then the government should cough-up. Yes, the density will need to intensify. That means we must sort out the cost and quality problems of complex flats. And find ways to gain the trust of residents.
A Beaverbrook-type would have to pick winners. How would you go about that? Inspectors can tell you what management teams are up to scratch. Start with them and help the others to get better. Inspectors have interpreted the world; the point is to change it. Housing is key to bringing the country together. We must fix it or face the consequences.
Alistair McIntosh, Chief Executive, HQN
