Blogs

Faced with a predicted 38% drop in new housing starts over the next two years. Public sector frameworks offer shelter from recession. They traditionally operate on four-year cycles, and present better industry access and cost consistency for the public sector. Furthermore for contractors and suppliers, they bring more predictable pipelines of work.

As the year 2022 comes to an end, I want to share some of the great things that the LHC London and South East team have accomplished, and we also look to 2023 with the ambition to achieve even more extraordinary things by improving lives and places through the impact of our services to the community. Join us on this journey of reflection and I look forward to sharing even more exciting news with you in the new year as we continue to grow with ambition for a greater reach. Have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.  

Dean Fazackerley, gives an overview of why public sector organisations must approach homes construction procurement and project management together to comply with updated Building Regulations Part L. 

In the midst of a climate and cost of living crisis, the potential to infill existing sites with new homes and increase density without displacing communities or destroying buildings is an attractive prospect. This type of development is a powerful tool for good but comes with a burden of responsibility. It is not simply enough to ‘first do no harm’, truly outstanding infill development should act as a catalyst for change.  It should offer more back to existing communities than that which it takes away.  And above all else, it must not crystalize the mistakes of the past.  

Almost a year since the release of ‘Constructing the Gold Standard’ – the independent review of public sector construction frameworks – has the sector got better at collaborative procurement? Framework provider LHC’s head of technical procurement Dean Fazackerley assesses progress. 

The UK is currently suffering from an unprecedented increase in energy prices and has an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions to save our planet. Therefore, the government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is crucial for us to make a difference in how we live for economic and global reasons.

The government has granted 3.8bn over ten years to help create energy-efficient homes. Wave 1 in 2021 provided landlords with the first opportunity to receive funds to proceed with this. Social housing landlords now have the chance to apply for wave 2.1 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

As a not-for-profit public sector construction framework provider with regional business hubs, LHC sees many low carbon, built environment projects in action at a local level. The outcomes of these projects are bringing significant benefits for local authorities and social housing providers in procuring low energy, built environment solutions such as modern methods of construction (MMC) new builds and energy efficiency retrofit.

With the government committed to reaching ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and more than two thirds of councils declaring a climate emergency, local authorities are facing a challenge – how to meet climate change targets whilst delivering urgently needed affordable homes for their residents.  

Our latest New Build Housing Construction (H2) framework was formed to develop new build housing projects and associated works, including development agreements and land purchases. This new framework will run until 4 September 2026.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) was launched by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and offers £1 billion of grant funding to public sector bodies for capital energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects. The purpose of this programme is to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and install low carbon heating measures in line with the Government’s target of reaching Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2050.