Palin steps down from Homes England
After three years leading the government regeneration agency’s markets, partners, and places team, Michael Palin is leaving the organisation. Jo Nugent, director of the MPP’s Midlands team, will take over his role until a successor is found.
“Homes England has a brilliant set of people, real-world relationships across the housing and regeneration spectrum, and experience in how to get things done,” Palin wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“It’s genuinely an organisation I will miss.”
Palin joined Homes England in 2021 as an interim director in the group’s cities and major conurbations team. In 2022, he took on the post of executive director of the MPP team.
He came to the national agency with a strong Northern background, having worked in the past as the chief executive of St Helens Council, managing director of Manchester-based The Growth Company, director of the Northern Housing Consortium, and executive director for strategic economic development at Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership.
During his time as executive director for the MPP team, Homes England has agreed strategic place partnerships with West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North East Combined Authority, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
It has also formed a joint venture with Barratt and Lloyds to deliver thousands of homes through the MADE Partnership. Another 3,000 homes are due to be built through Homes England’s Habiko – a partnership with Pension Insurance Corporation and Muse. In Leeds, Homes England is working alongside Caddick to deliver the £1bn, 1,900-home South Village masterplan.
Palin was filled with praise for his team.
“The team in MPP in particular (I am biased obviously!) are an exceptional team full of technical capability, leadership, and problem-solving ability,” he said.
“They have driven forward many brilliant projects over recent years and I remain in awe at their perseverance and skill. What they do is often complicated but they are the best there is in navigating their way through.
“Whether Sheffield, Blackpool, work in London, or the Strategic Place Partnerships with Mayors in the North East, Yorkshire, the North West and West Midlands and so on – the advocacy obtained from that brilliant work will always make me proud. “
Homes England’s departing chief executive, Peter Denton, spoke about Palin’s impact on the government agency.
“Mike has played an important role in providing executive operational oversight as well as supporting our wider strategic direction,” Denton said.
“He has developed and led MPP, putting place at the heart of the agency and driving forward partnerships that have helped us to deliver on our mission and that also provide the foundations to support our future delivery across our regions.”
Palin has not yet announced what his next venture will be.
