'Logistics must be designed into the plan' of Burnham's housebuilding programme

An interesting piece in the weekends Sunday Times on Andy Burnham’s ambitions for housing, devolution and regional growth.

The proposal for the biggest council housebuilding programme since the post-war period is significant. But for the industry the RHA represents, the wider point is just as important: you cannot build homes, regenerate communities or grow regional economies without logistics.

Every major housebuilding programme depends on the movement of construction materials, plant, equipment and people. That means HGVs, vans and the wider road transport supply chain. It means reliable roads, sufficient skills, proportionate regulation and infrastructure that allows operators to work efficiently.

The article also highlights a 4% fall in construction employment over the past year and a 14% fall compared with 20 years ago. That should concern us all. Skills shortages do not exist in isolation. Construction, logistics and transport are interconnected, and constraints in one part of the economy quickly affect another.

There is also a broader lesson in the idea of “Manchesterism” and shifting decision-making closer to communities. The RHA represents members across all four nations and regions of the UK, and we see first-hand that local and regional growth depends on understanding how goods, services and people actually move.

For the RHA, the message is clear. If the new government is serious about building homes, unlocking growth and strengthening communities, then logistics must be designed into the plan from the beginning — not treated as an afterthought.

No logistics, no construction. No connectivity, no regional growth. No thriving road transport sector, no successful economic renewal.

The ambition is welcome. Now the enabling infrastructure, skills and policy framework must match it.