Councils are major house builders in the capital with ambitious housing targets. Growth will require them to operate at their most effective. This research asks what makes a council effective at enabling their council-led delivery.
Affordable housing delivery in London is at crisis point. The shortage is driving up councils’ temporary accommodation costs, while people experiencing homelessness are placed in housing that is unsuitable, insecure or far from their communities and support networks. This in a nutshell is the case for council-led development.
In February 2026 the GLA launched the London Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026-36. Local authorities will receive funding from this programme to support the growth of their housing delivery, meeting more affordable housing needs within their boroughs with long-term housing solutions. This in part will reduce the housing shortage.
Council‑led housing development brings clear benefits, but it is also costly, complex and high‑risk, even with subsidies from the GLA or other sources. So, operating effectively across the council to deliver new housing is key. This means corporate functions working with internal development teams to secure funding, gain approvals, complete procurements and manage risks.
Over the past ten years Future of London has supported the council-led capacity building of in-housing development teams through a range of initiatives which have included council-led seminars, training courses, expert panels and a suite of peer groups connecting council colleagues up to share good practice.
What are the research’s aims?
This research aims to build on all Future of London’s previous activities with development teams, to explore and identify what effective internal collaboration looks like when development and corporate teams work together.
The research will identify the operational models, policies, structures and working practices that make up good practice.
Case studies of good practice will be brought together in the final report to share smart ideas and practical solutions for effective practice.
Whilst the output will be of particular interest to those leading on development at a corporate level it will also aim to be of broader interest to those in their teams and to the wider Future of London network.
How is this research being carried out?
- A literature review of other reports on council-led delivery and we would welcome suggestions of other sources too
- Interviews with those working in both development and corporate teams working on housing delivery
- Structured discussions with our peer group network to capture their experience and good practice
How can you contribute?
We are interested to hear from anyone willing to share their experience working with local authority development teams and corporate colleagues to deliver new housing development.
Please get in touch with Visakha Sri Chandrasekera, housing programme advisor at Future of London