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Muncipal Dreams – the Rise and Fall of Council Housing – our AGM talk
EcoHolmes are hosting a talk by John Boughton, social historian, on MUNICIPAL DREAMS – THE RISE AND FALL OF COUNCIL HOUSING on Wednesday 13th May 2026 in the Cafe Room at the Holmfirth Tech, following on from our AGM.
EcoHolmes supporters who are not Members are welcome to attend the AGM as guests at 7pm or to come along for the talk at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be available.
John Boughton has written about the social, political, and architectural history of council housing in the United Kingdom. He explores how the ambition to provide decent housing for all citizens became a central part of British politics and then traces the subsequent decline and “stigmatisation” of those same public estates. He argues that the modern housing crisis stems from abandoning the “municipal dream” of good-quality state-provided homes and ties in historical policy failures to contemporary tragedies, such as the Grenfell Tower fire, illustrating the consequences of neglecting social housing safety and community. Originally born out of Boughton’s highly regarded blog of the same name, the book is widely cited as essential reading for understanding Britain’s current housing challenges.
John Boughton is the author of Municipal Dreams: the Rise and Fall of Council Housing (Verso, 2018) and A History of Council Housing in 100 Estates (RIBA Books, 2022). His blog Municipal Dreams – a record of local authority housing and reform across the country and in Europe – has been viewed 2.5 million times. He is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Architecture of the University of Liverpool.
EcoHolmes AGM 2026
EcoHolmes will hold its Annual General Meeting 2026 for Members on Wednesday 13th May 2026 at 7pm at the Holmfirth Tech – Save the Date!
The AGM is an opportunity for Members to hear what we’ve been doing over the last 12 months, learn more about plans for the Chippings site and help shape what comes next for EcoHolmes.
We are continuing on with our plans for 10 No affordable, low energy homes at the Chippings quarry site in Scholes in conjunction with our partners Connect Housing Association , with the aim of delivering and managing these rental homes for the benefit of local people.
If you are interested in getting more involved in what we do, let us know. There are vacancies for Board members or you might want to join one of the working groups. If you would like to find out more, please speak to one of the Board members or contact us at info@ecoholmes.org.uk
The AGM agenda and papers has been sent to Members by email, two weeks before the AGM meeting.
Following the AGM, EcoHolmes are hosting a talk by John Boughton about Municipal Dreams – the Rise and Fall of Council Housing in the United KIngdom – see our post for more details. This talk will be open for EcoHolmes supporters to attend as well as Members.
Kirklees Local Plan Review Early Engagement Survey
There’s a week to go!!
Don’t miss this chance to have your say about the type of housing we need and where it
should be built in the Holme Valley. If you haven’t completed the survey, it takes 10 minutes
or so. The closing date for the survey is Friday 28th February 2025.
Kirklees Early Engagement exercise to inform the Local Pan review closes soon. The
opportunity to comment is open to residents, community groups, business operators,
landowners and developers. The Council is calling for sites to be nominated for possible
development, saying it wants to look at as many options as possible and choose the most
suitable sites for where new development goes.
Many people in the Valley agree there is a need for more lower cost houses, more houses
for rent and more smaller houses to be built. They also want to see more job opportunities
in the Valley so younger people don’t have to move away. But where should these houses
and workplaces be located?
To find out more and have your say, fill in the survey at Kirklees Development Plan
Kirklees Council.