Tom Chance
@tomchance.bsky.social
CEO of the Community Land Trust Network / Rhwydwaith Ymddiriedolaethau
Tir Cymunedol https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk
In an era of populism and discontent, when just 3% of the public trust private developers, why pin your political future on those developers meeting a target they say is not possible, and that would make a marginal - at best - difference to the living costs of voters in 2030?
October 22, 2025 at 8:36 AM
In an era of populism and discontent, when just 3% of the public trust private developers, why pin your political future on those developers meeting a target they say is not possible, and that would make a marginal - at best - difference to the living costs of voters in 2030?
The current tenure split isn't evidence for what London lacks. The GLA commissions a Strategic Housing Market Assessment periodically to inform the London Plan and Housing Strategy. This establishes what types of housing London needs. The GLA also monitors actual builds. Here's what it shows.
October 16, 2025 at 2:05 PM
The current tenure split isn't evidence for what London lacks. The GLA commissions a Strategic Housing Market Assessment periodically to inform the London Plan and Housing Strategy. This establishes what types of housing London needs. The GLA also monitors actual builds. Here's what it shows.
They're moving in! Lovely to drop in to catch up with James, his is the first family to move into @yorspace.bsky.social 's almost-finished first co-op housing project. If only @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social could unlock the funding for many more projects like these...
October 15, 2025 at 9:38 AM
They're moving in! Lovely to drop in to catch up with James, his is the first family to move into @yorspace.bsky.social 's almost-finished first co-op housing project. If only @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social could unlock the funding for many more projects like these...
🎉 As a member of the #CommunityWealthFund Alliance I am delighted by the news we have secured £175 million for England's doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods
This crucial investment will place power and resources directly in the hands of communities in the areas that need it most.
This crucial investment will place power and resources directly in the hands of communities in the areas that need it most.
September 26, 2025 at 10:37 AM
🎉 As a member of the #CommunityWealthFund Alliance I am delighted by the news we have secured £175 million for England's doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods
This crucial investment will place power and resources directly in the hands of communities in the areas that need it most.
This crucial investment will place power and resources directly in the hands of communities in the areas that need it most.
Wonderful to visit Chapeltown Cohousing and talk with some of the members/residents during the #NorthernWay Summit in Leeds yesterday, such an inclusive, diverse and neighbourly community.
September 25, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Wonderful to visit Chapeltown Cohousing and talk with some of the members/residents during the #NorthernWay Summit in Leeds yesterday, such an inclusive, diverse and neighbourly community.
Great to sit down again with @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social yesterday to update him on our work on community led housing and CLT stewardship in new towns, as well as finance & other matters. With 100s of communities desperate to build 1,000s of homes, we need action after warm words.
September 11, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Great to sit down again with @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social yesterday to update him on our work on community led housing and CLT stewardship in new towns, as well as finance & other matters. With 100s of communities desperate to build 1,000s of homes, we need action after warm words.
Of my many conflicting thoughts on Rayner's resignation, one is that we have lost an effective advocate for social housing who listened to the sector and made the case well within government. The other is that stories like hers are too rare in frontline politics.
September 5, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Of my many conflicting thoughts on Rayner's resignation, one is that we have lost an effective advocate for social housing who listened to the sector and made the case well within government. The other is that stories like hers are too rare in frontline politics.
Startling figs that show community-led housing can increase affordable housebuilding at scale, if only we can get the conditions right. In this case it just needs the tiniest tweak to the Homes England funding model... @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social
www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/news-and-eve...
www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/news-and-eve...
August 21, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Startling figs that show community-led housing can increase affordable housebuilding at scale, if only we can get the conditions right. In this case it just needs the tiniest tweak to the Homes England funding model... @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social
www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/news-and-eve...
www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Responding to the flurry of media coverage of crap housebuilding, why not give communities the chance to be partners in placemaking and stewardship? The tools exist. They just need policymakers and practitioners to adopt them at scale.
August 12, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Responding to the flurry of media coverage of crap housebuilding, why not give communities the chance to be partners in placemaking and stewardship? The tools exist. They just need policymakers and practitioners to adopt them at scale.
Lovely spending the day with the whole staff and trustee team opening up lots of creative thinking about the next few years for the Community Land Trust movement.
July 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Lovely spending the day with the whole staff and trustee team opening up lots of creative thinking about the next few years for the Community Land Trust movement.
Quick illustration from a report we did for a Cornish MP, looking at rural affordable delivery 2014-24. Huge underdelivery in rural areas, reminiscent of London, in the county with one of the best track records for rural social housing.
July 24, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Quick illustration from a report we did for a Cornish MP, looking at rural affordable delivery 2014-24. Huge underdelivery in rural areas, reminiscent of London, in the county with one of the best track records for rural social housing.
Thanks Noah Law MP for hosting a small roundtable with some other Cornish MPs and the Cornwall Council cabinet member for housing yesterday, to discuss research we did for Noah on the housing crisis in his constituency and community led solutions. noahlaw.co.uk/pledges/hous...
July 17, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Thanks Noah Law MP for hosting a small roundtable with some other Cornish MPs and the Cornwall Council cabinet member for housing yesterday, to discuss research we did for Noah on the housing crisis in his constituency and community led solutions. noahlaw.co.uk/pledges/hous...
Number 10 hosted a reception to celebrate the cooperative economy today. We wait to see if the spending review and other really consequential government decisions help, and whether they are bold in wiring cooperative principles into eg the plans to build 1.5 million homes.
June 9, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Number 10 hosted a reception to celebrate the cooperative economy today. We wait to see if the spending review and other really consequential government decisions help, and whether they are bold in wiring cooperative principles into eg the plans to build 1.5 million homes.
I particularly liked this quote which frames a lot of our work around how you direct more of the £bns of capital washing through asset development into community ownership and with community agency in its design. CS are at the cutting edge of thinking how you do that in the most regenerative way.
April 9, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I particularly liked this quote which frames a lot of our work around how you direct more of the £bns of capital washing through asset development into community ownership and with community agency in its design. CS are at the cutting edge of thinking how you do that in the most regenerative way.
Good speaking at the London Co-operative Party conference on Saturday in support of commonhold, but also on its limitations and then need for a bigger toolbox of co-operative approaches to housing, including Community Land Trusts.
March 25, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Good speaking at the London Co-operative Party conference on Saturday in support of commonhold, but also on its limitations and then need for a bigger toolbox of co-operative approaches to housing, including Community Land Trusts.
Nice to see this mention of Community Land Trusts by Helena Dollimore MP in a debate on rural affordable housing. As she says - and as over 100 rural CLTs are showing - if a village the size of Icklesham can do it, anywhere can deliver social housing this way.
www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=20...
www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=20...
March 4, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Nice to see this mention of Community Land Trusts by Helena Dollimore MP in a debate on rural affordable housing. As she says - and as over 100 rural CLTs are showing - if a village the size of Icklesham can do it, anywhere can deliver social housing this way.
www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=20...
www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=20...
I had a lovely end to last week speaking at an event on community led housing in Abertawe/Swansea, and taking a tour of projects with Swansea Cohousing CLT and Gwyr CLT.
March 4, 2025 at 10:17 AM
I had a lovely end to last week speaking at an event on community led housing in Abertawe/Swansea, and taking a tour of projects with Swansea Cohousing CLT and Gwyr CLT.
And a further question/answer in with the minister @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social commits to giving further consideration to supporting community-led and rural affordable housing in the next round of planning reforms. We have >100 rural communities wanting to build affordable homes.
January 31, 2025 at 10:49 AM
And a further question/answer in with the minister @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social commits to giving further consideration to supporting community-led and rural affordable housing in the next round of planning reforms. We have >100 rural communities wanting to build affordable homes.
Delighted to be speaking at this HAPN event in April on new approaches and financial models to bolstering social housebuilding. Who's going?
invt.io/1lxbcw4dvjp
invt.io/1lxbcw4dvjp
January 30, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Delighted to be speaking at this HAPN event in April on new approaches and financial models to bolstering social housebuilding. Who's going?
invt.io/1lxbcw4dvjp
invt.io/1lxbcw4dvjp
Thanks @simonforstroud.bsky.social for asking the housing minister @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social about rural and community-led housing in the next Homes England funding round. Essential that govt gives HE a clear commission and targets www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=20...
January 29, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Thanks @simonforstroud.bsky.social for asking the housing minister @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social about rural and community-led housing in the next Homes England funding round. Essential that govt gives HE a clear commission and targets www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=20...
Lovely to see Bishop Castle CLT's shop front completed, and happy tenants in the flats. They've already had a wonderful letter of thanks from one of the community groups using this as their base - every town should have one on their high street!
January 28, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Lovely to see Bishop Castle CLT's shop front completed, and happy tenants in the flats. They've already had a wonderful letter of thanks from one of the community groups using this as their base - every town should have one on their high street!
Nice to see Sean Woodcock MP mention Hook Norton CLT among examples of rural communities resourcefully creating the affordable homes, bus services, renewable energy we all want to see. Imagine if the govt backed and built this resourcefulness nationwide! www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=...
January 23, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Nice to see Sean Woodcock MP mention Hook Norton CLT among examples of rural communities resourcefully creating the affordable homes, bus services, renewable energy we all want to see. Imagine if the govt backed and built this resourcefulness nationwide! www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=...
Great to see Gwyr Community Land Trust's planning application go live - 14 low impact self build shared ownership homes, held for local people in perpetuity. If you're at all local to Swansea do consider adding a supportive comment. www.gwyrcommunitylandtrust.org
January 21, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Great to see Gwyr Community Land Trust's planning application go live - 14 low impact self build shared ownership homes, held for local people in perpetuity. If you're at all local to Swansea do consider adding a supportive comment. www.gwyrcommunitylandtrust.org