social rent housing at pace: The MMC playbook

A playbook for local authorities


 


 
 

It’s time to act.

© Chris Jackson

As public servants and leaders of industry, we have between us the motivation and tools to transform the ways we work to release a new wave of social rent housing. Such purposeful and transformative action is dependent upon a clear goal and an explicit plan. This Playbook is a strategic tool for local authorities facing the human and economic cost of the current housing crisis who need to release a ‘winning’ response.

The Playbook:

• Draws on insights, ideas and case studies from over sixty organisations. View the list of contributing authors.

• Includes more than forty links to appendices packed with further resources and reading.

The 2024 New Homes in New Ways exhibition at the Building Centre in London. © Chris Jackson

 
 

Watch the video below for a summary of the Playbook, with thanks to Akerlof for producing this film with Churton Studio.

The three components of the ecosystem solution:

  • The opportunity for the public sector to incubate a new supply chain of factory-manufactured housing to accelerate delivery.

  • The opportunity for the public sector to unlock a “new” supply of land (such as small, brownfield sites in public sector ownership) and address the associated viability and planning challenges.

  • The opportunity for the public sector and capital investors to rethink value and unlock alternative sources of capital for social rent housing.

The plan also highlights the critical opportunity for a human-centric, outcome-led approach that embeds values into the design and delivery of new homes to benefit residents, communities and wider society.

Listen to Jez Sweetland talk about the ecosystem solution on the Infrastructure Podcast.

Read more on our series of Playbook blogs or watch a series of videos on our #SocialHousingPlaybook Playlist on YouTube.

 

Get involved.

Feeling inspired? Ready to roll up your sleeves? Do you have another case study to share?

Connect with us and sign up for Playbook-related updates.

We also encourage you to reach out to the 25 authors and more than sixty contributing organisations and stakeholders and are happy to make introductions. Please do stay in touch so we can highlight collective progress and share lessons learnt.

Contact us

  • Mike De'Ath, Partner, HTA Design LLP

    “We may be on the cusp of a new era of delivering the homes the country needs. While this may seem a rosy picture, there is no doubt that housing demand is such that it cannot be ignored by a new government. If we are to build back from the 4 million home backlog at pace, and avert a major challenge to economic growth, we surely must address the need to build smarter in the face of a much discussed skills and capacity shortage. This report therefore is extremely well timed and hugely welcomed. It sets out to address the scale of the challenge and a wide spectrum of potential solutions. For my part the aggregation of demand for those seeking to build truly affordable homes remains the best hope to creating a visible pipeline for those seeking to set up factories and MMC solutions we know can deliver truly sustainable and high-quality outcomes.”

  • George Clarke, architect, TV presenter and founder of the charity MOBIE (Ministry of Building Innovation and Education)

    “This Social Rent Housing Local Authority Playbook is so important. It is a call to arms for us to do things differently and to do things better so we can deliver the social housing that we so desperately need. If you share my passion for social housing and for innovation, then the Playbook is essential reading.”

  • Olga Kordas, Viable Cities

    “Bristol shows important progress within the Climate Smart Cities Challenge system demonstrator on just transition to climate-neutrality through new models on affordability in the housing sector. The system demonstrator in Bristol has great potential to inspire a global community for the future of climate-neutral and affordable housing. Furthermore, this Playbook will be a valuable contribution to NetZeroCities, as Bristol is one of the 112 cities for the European mission of Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.”

  • Homes England

    “The MMC Playbook for Local Authorities is an incredibly valuable resource which highlights the scale of our housing challenges with 145,800 dependent children in Temporary Accommodation. Children and young people are expected to be amongst the key beneficiaries of the affordable housing delivered by Homes England's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP). A key benefit of increasing the supply of affordable housing is the impact it has on taking people out of temporary accommodation and providing them with security of tenure, financial stability and community support has on improving educational outcomes. Homes England's recognises that MMC enables higher quality and more sustainable homes to be delivered faster, which is why the AHP has a 25% MMC mandate. The MMC Playbook guides and demonstrates how pioneering Local Authorities are using MMC to deliver these objectives and address our housing challenges.”

  • UN-Habitat

    “In the face of the on-going climate crisis, UN-Habitat’s mandate for adequate and affordable housing for all is ever more urgent. Through our collaboration on the Climate Smart Cities Challenge, Bristol has paved a new way to deliver affordable, carbon-neutral homes using innovative and modern methods of construction, and digital technology. The launch of this resourceful playbook will help scale their approach to local governments in the UK and beyond, towards a better future for people and the planet.”

  • Jamie Hillier, Partner, Akerlof

    “The publication of the Playbook marks a really critical step forward. It provides clear, actionable strategies that empower stakeholders in beginning to alleviate the economic strain of temporary accommodation. This timely initiative is crucial, and I am optimistic that it will catalyse further actions in paving the way for a sustainable housing future in our communities.”

  • Zoe Metcalfe, Client Director, Local and Central Government, Buildings & Places, Infrastructure, AtkinsRealis

    "The Playbook shares the wisdom, and the real-life case studies, to empower those in Local and Central Government, One Public Estate and the broader sector to think, act, do and deliver differently. The current housing crisis demands urgent action at pace and scale, and the Housing Festival’s relentless pursuit of homes for people proves that we must (and can) do things differently now! AtkinsRéalis has been delighted to support and be part of the diverse collective who share this passion for public good.”

  • Kate Farrell, Head of Housing Supply Strategy, Crisis

    “We know we have to end homelessness with homes, and to do so we need a significant shift to build the scale of social homes needed. The best available evidence shows we need 90,000 social homes per year being delivered, while last year there was a net loss of more than 12,000 social homes in England. To deliver the homes we need, we need innovative ways to deliver them. Modern Methods of Construction have a role to play to supplement traditional building methods and Crisis is supportive of its use to deliver good quality, well designed, energy efficient homes that any of us would be proud to live in. That’s why we’re so pleased to see the publication of this Playbook as a way to inspire the innovation and creativity we need to see to in this area.”