The PPP Era? Lost In Translation. Edinburgh Refocuses On Social Housing

Bird's eye view of Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, where the council is planning to build affordable housing, lots of it.

Bad news for that Thatcherite conservative, small government fever-dream of arranged housing marriages. Those are the ones in which a sturdy, competent private groom lifts the bridal veil to pucker his lips towards the fluttery, incompetent public heiress, her cheeks swollen with taxpayer cash.

Spit is exchanged.

After a suitable gestation, an explosion of necessary housing bursts into affordable life. After which everyone lives happily ever after, particularly those who inherit the fruits of this arranged marriage and are able to move into a desperately needed affordable home.

That was the dream. Alas, the fever has broken. Fluttery public entities such as city councils are sizing up the expected flood of housing offspring, only to discover a bare trickle is running down their leg.

Surely there is a better way of getting banged for their bucks?

And so, public brides are thinking back to a time when they were usefully independent. In the UK at least, it would seem that more and more city councils are tired of getting hitched to dodgy chancers, however much the national government loves them.

The City of Edinburgh, for example, needs large amounts of new council housing to replace sold-off stock, together with significant refurbishment of existing housing. Their latest plans suggest they are no longer in the mood to get hooked up in Public Private Partnerships in order to deliver truly affordable housing, whether new or refurbished, via endless profit-focused quarrels which produce only handfuls of homes at a time.

Read more in Scottish Construction Now: Edinburgh ‘Set To Approve’ £2.5Bn Affordable Housing Spend

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