Devolution in England: what does it mean for rural housing? CCRI’s Demelza Jones headed to Westminster this week (9 December) to share her thoughts on this question with MPs.
Demelza took part in a session on the implications of devolution for rural housing and the planning system, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse.
Presenting evidence from her recent research with Katarina Kubinakova and Honor Mackley-Ward, she argued:
- devolution offers opportunities to address rural housing needs
- but this depends on rural concerns being understood and prioritised by local leaders
- national-level safeguards are needed within the Devolution and Community to reduce the risk of a postcode lottery whereby some rural areas benefit from devolution-driven investment while others are left behind
Find out more about the research here: https://ccri.ac.uk/news/12/2025/devolution-offers-a-new-opportunity-to-deliver-affordable-homes-in-rural-england-new-ccri-study/
Demelza joined a panel of cross-sector experts including Martin Collett (co-Chair of the Rural Housing Network and CEO of English Rural), planning specialist Catriona Riddell, Robbie Calvert (Head of Policy and Public Affairs, RTPI), and Judith Barker (Executive Director of Place and Connectivity, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority).
The discussion also considered the importance of rural housing partnerships in advocating for rural communities’ needs and the resource challenges facing these networks, for example, the current short-term funding of the Rural Housing Enabler network.
The panel further discussed the risk of inequalities between Mayoral and non-Mayoral devolved authorities. While they may have similar levels of housing need, they may have differing powers and funding to address these.
The evidence given in the session will contribute to a report prepared by the APPG to support new Mayors and Strategic Authority leaders in delivering inclusively for rural communities.
