About Red Brick

The place for progressive housing debate

Red Brick is a progressive political blog with a particular focus on housing policy edited by Rose Grayston since March 2026.

As a forum it is open to anyone interested in the progressive debate about housing, communities, and wider politics.

We are linked to the Labour Housing Group but the views expressed here are those of individual authors and/or the editors and are not necessarily the view of LHG or London LHG.

Through debate and the sharing of ideas in this open forum, we will help to develop sound Labour housing policies, support Labour councils to do their best to address housing needs, and support LHG to make sure housing is seen a priority for Labour.

It was founded in 2010 by Tony Clements and Steve Hilditch and been previously edited by our pseudonymous friend Monimbo.

Red Brick editors:

2010 – 2022: Tony Clements, Steve Hilditch and Monimbo

2022 – 2024: Sheila Spencer

2024 – 2026: Alex Toal

2026 – Rose Grayston

Rose Grayston

Rose is editor of Red Brick. She has worked to develop and win support for solutions to the UK’s housing crisis as Expert Adviser to Matthew Pennycook, Minister for Housing and Planning, as a Labour activist and founding member of Open Labour, and through roles at Shelter, the New Economics Foundation and Generation Rent.

Steve Hilditch

Founder of Red Brick. Former Head of Policy for Shelter. Select Committee Advisor for Housing and Homelessness. Drafted the first London Mayor’s Housing Strategy under Ken Livingstone. Steve sits on the Editorial Panel of Red Brick.

• 
  Two things the new Prime Minister could do immediately to boost social rent supply
  Jo Allchurch, Director of the Association of Directors of Housing and Will Jeffwitz, Head of Policy, National Housing Federation on the urgent change needed to kickstart social housing
• 
  Spatial Development Strategies are a critical part of the Government’s planning reforms – but why?
  Planning expert Catriona Riddell explains how strategic planning will transform places and underpin the role of mayors in the planning system
• 
  Britain Needs Better Homes
  Ben Cooper, Head of the Fabian Housing Centre on how Labour has raised the quality of homes while building more before – and can do again
• 
  Andy Burnham’s Housing First philosophy
  Fiona Colley from Homeless Link and Francesca Albanese from Crisis on what Andy’s Burnham’s call for a “national Housing First philosophy” means for England