Taking a break out of the seemingly endless election cycle, I attended a NLA event last week on 'Grappling with Growth'. The event was an intriguing dialogue between London's Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, and his counterpart in New York, Alicia Glen. It was an interesting eye opener and, to those of us who have become guilty of being too London (or U.K.) centric, it exposed the fact that our growth problems are not unique.

Download Iceni Engagement’s Metro Mayor Briefing Pack here for everything you need to know.

On Friday 4th May 2017 six regions across the UK went to the polls to vote for a new Metro Mayor. But how is this going to affect housing and development? Download Iceni Engagement's Briefing Pack here for everything you need to know.

What makes a great city? Is it the buildings? The cafés and restaurants that sit within them? Is it the history of a place – the music, the sporting venues, the cultural identity? Is it the transport links, to get people in, and equally to get people out, to the surrounding landscape and connected towns and villages? Is it the homes and businesses? The politics? The passion?

As Parliament is dissolved today the General Election campaign officially begins. But where one campaign begins, another comes to an end.  Polls open tomorrow for some local election seats and six new metro mayors.

Today the Minister for Local Government and Housing announced that, as of 1 June 2017, planning fees will be increasing in Scotland.

On June 8th Britain is holding a general election to choose a new government – yes, another vote. There are 650 parliamentary seats up for grabs, the vast majority (533) are in England, while Scotland has 59 seats, Wales 40 and Northern Ireland 18.

Date: Thursday 27 April 2017

London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has rightly made improving air quality a priority. This month he has announced a 2019 start date for London’s ultra-low emission zone. It is hoped that this will help to reduce vehicle emissions by 50% by 2020. Improvements to air quality will be welcomed not just by ordinary Londoners but also by the real estate sector.

One month since Theresa May declared that it is not the time for a second Scottish independence referendum, as the Government are putting “all its energies” into negotiating a Brexit deal, the Prime Minister has called for a snap general election on June 8^th. Never mind her claims that there wasn’t going to be a general election until 2020, more pressing now is how this election is going to play out.