Insight: Public Consultation + Political Engagement

As we enter 2021, we've looked ahead to May and what the local elections can mean for the North West.

Manchester City Council recently set out its plan for how the city will kickstart economic recovery after the crisis caused by the pandemic.  

Councils across the North West are considering their responses to the Government’s proposed reforms to the planning system, with some describing the Planning for the Future White Paper as “fundamentally undemocratic” as reported by Place North West here. To gauge the response to the proposed reforms, BECG commissioned Savanta ComRes to interview 315 English Councillors, […]

According to Regional Growth Minister Simon Clarke MP, “the greatest decentralisation of power in our modern history” is going to hit the region’s politicians in the autumn.

The recent Design Council report, A Public Vision for the Home of 2030, makes for fascinating reading as we see new housing developments start to come forward again.

All it took for the development industry and local authorities to embrace digital technologies was a global health pandemic.

As we head into another three weeks of lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, it seems the time is right to start thinking about what the world could look like in the future.

We're over a fortnight into 'lockdown' and social distancing concerns have brought into sharp relief an aspect of housing policy which has perhaps been overlooked in recent years.

It’s the moment many have been waiting for, the Statutory Instrument allowing local authorities in England and Wales to hold meetings remotely has been published and will be in force on Saturday 4 April 2020. Since the Government’s lock down on public gatherings and non-essential business, council meetings have been cancelled or postponed, leaving major […]

Tackling climate change has risen up the political agenda thanks to the efforts of Extinction Rebellion, the legally binding net zero 2050 target and the severe flooding seen across the UK in recent months.

As people across the country isolate themselves, the strain on local authorities has heightened.

Rent control, investment in new roads and higher stamp duty for overseas UK property buyers are the most popular election pledges for the built environment in the North West, according to a new opinion poll commissioned by BECG. Our exclusive survey reveals that policies relating to home ownership and the cost of housing seem to […]

A lack of sustainable transport is often a major criticism of new housing schemes, particularly sites on the edge of town or as garden village developments.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is set to reject the latest devolution deal it has been offered by Boris Johnson’s government, it has emerged.

The Manifesto for the North has been launched with the aim of pressing all political parties into action ahead of the General Election and ensuring that the new Government, whatever colour it might be, delivers more for the region.

The odds of the GMSF being successfully delivered fell a little lower this week, after the local Conservative group failed to rule out voting against any final draft that they were asked to endorse.

It’s almost certain that we will be asked to go to the polls sometime in late November to decide who should be our next Prime Minister.

A recent YouGov survey for Grosvenor Britain & Ireland on the development and planning system does not make pretty reading.

Proposals to radically transform the way that land in the UK is used and governed have been unveiled by the Labour party.

A fortnight ago voters across England went to the polls to elect local councillors responsible for determining what happens to our built environment for the next four years.