2019-05-31   The 1961 Land Compensation Act

Friday, 31st May 2019 (18:45 to 20:30)

11, Mandeville Place, London W1U 3AJ

by Ed Randall

Building More and Better Homes

A short presentation, followed by a discussion, on reform of the 1961 Land Compensation Act.

The recommendations of the Uthwatt Committee provided a planning framework for the UK’s post-war development that was capable of stabilising land values and ensuring that the benefits of development were fairly shared. Since that time, it has been severely eroded. In this talk Ed explained how reform of the 1961 Land Compensation Act could be a step to restoring a fair system. The objective, he says, is to “Do everything we can to collect and redirect what Ebeneezer Howard called the landlord’s rent, so that it can be used to build more and better homes.” He explained how the All Party Parliamentary Group on Land Value Capture plays a valuable role in advancing the case for reform.

Ed is a retired university lecturer who lectured on politics and public policy at Goldsmiths, University of London; for sixteen years, he was also as an elected member of Greenwich Council.

Since becoming Deputy Chair of the Coalition for Economic Justice’s Steering Group Ed has helped to write and publish Let’s Supercharge the OPDC(March 2018) and the first report of the APPG on Land Value Capture Capturing Land Value for the Public Benefit(November 2018). 

The presentation given is available for downloading below.