Archive for January, 2009

Chalk and Cheese Award

The What House? Awards throw together the great and good of the industry.
Many are old friends and past and future colleagues - a veritable melting pot of young and old, slim and portly. But the most unlikely snapshot meeting of the afternoon was flamboyant TTA prince of PR Alex Lawrie being introduced to England’s most capped rugby player Jason Leonard. Alex has not been seen outside an immaculately tailored suit and tie since Tricia Topping was a teenager (circa 1989), while Jason hasn’t been able to do his top button up since his school nativity play (no he didn’t play baby Jesus). Both had plenty of sensible things to say about the current plight of housebuilders. But when Alex switched to the extravagance of Dubai hotel launches and the delights of the Versace brand and Jason mused on England’s chances against South Africa at Twickenham the following day (cue hot tears), neither was listening to the other.

Whispering from under the bushel
Warning. Rupert Bates is on the warpath. Our editorial director, in no uncertain terms, at the What House? Awards called for winning builders scream their triumphs from the rooftops and for chief executives to confront their demons and address the media. Well a random trawl of some builders’ websites and Rupert does not like what he sees, or rather what he does not see. Shout? There are louder trappist monks. While it is understandable with minimal advertising spend at this time of year regardless of the market, that is no excuse not to trumpet your achievements. My colleague Natalia Gameson has tried to extract some 2009 projections - admittedly fraught with caveats - from leading housebuilders. But the likes of Taylor Wimpey (okay we’ll let them off), Berkeley and Barratt were either too busy or too nervous to comment. You can’t even raise your voice and speak your mind in your trade publication. Shame on you.

Bob the builder
I’m deeply cynical of any government quango with the words communities and agency in its name. So the Homes & Communities Agency has no chance. But I shall park my cynicism and suggest that the HCA simply has to succeed. Wouldn’t it be great if this useless government finally did something right? I like the cut of Sir Bob Kerslake’s jib and if, at the end of 2009, the HCA chief executive is voted industry champion of the year, there is hope for the housing market. My inbox gets flooded with the latest ‘rescue’ plans which will ‘inject’ millions to ‘deliver’ new homes and ’support’ the housing market. The language is always the same. If the government worked as quickly as its galleons of press officers hit the send button, all the affordable homes would already have been delivered. Sir Bob should feel the hand of housing history on his shoulder. Fail and we are all history. Oh and please, please, keep the dialogue with housebuilders open and fruitful. There’s no ‘I’ in ‘we need new homes now.’ Bob the builder, can he fix it?

Saving private homes
Among all the quick fixes being advocated - and boy we need fixes quickly - let us not forget one of the raft of initiatives from former Barratt boss David Pretty, now chief executive of the New Homes Marketing Board, which is potentially an excellent long-term initiative. David wants a National Home Deposit Savings scheme, so buyers can save for their first home, supported by tax bonuses or concessions. There might not be much interest to gain on savings at the moment, but if the profligate, lend, spend culture which got us into this mess in the first place has taught us anything, it is the old adage of saving for a rainy day. It is pouring.

Woolie thinking
Why doesn’t the government increase the HCA’s funding and let them buy Woolworths stores, so affordable homes can be sold on the high street where they will be most visible? Just a thought.

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