Policy Hub

Here is a selection of policies I am exploring

Knife Crime

A new approach to tackling youth violence through prevention, discipline, and cultural change

Why This Matters to Me

This is personal to me. The system failed me as a child, and I know the signs — the anger, the fear, the need to feel powerful when you feel powerless. We need to put serious focus on reforming how we support our under-16s. That includes early intervention, mentoring, life skills, and — yes — a new approach to knife crime.

The Cultural Problem

I want to bring something new to the conversation around youth violence — not just more awareness campaigns or another reactive crackdown. We need a cultural shift, and I think it begins with providing young people with better options.

I remember when fists were the weapon of choice. What we’re seeing now — with teenagers routinely carrying knives — is a breakdown in the social contract. Many of them don’t feel safe without one. That’s a dangerous normal. And we won’t change it by simply taking knives away without offering something in return.

The Policy Proposal

I support introducing compulsory self-defence classes in secondary schools — not as a way to promote violence, but as a way to give young people another option.

Youth will always fight — that’s part of growing up. But if they’re going to clash, let’s equip them with discipline, boundaries, and a structured outlet that doesn’t involve deadly weapons.

Self-defence training teaches more than how to protect yourself. It teaches respect, restraint, and values. It helps young people process adrenaline, channel aggression in a safe manner, and develop self-control.

Changing Peer Culture

Some parents might say violence isn’t the answer — and they’re right. But ask yourself: what are we offering our children right now when fear walks with them every day to and from school?

The socially unacceptable side of knife culture has to come from within. We can teach logic, but peer influence drives change. Once a few key kids buy in — once they start calling knives cowardly — others will follow. It has to be theirs, not ours. We must get inside their heads to understand how they perceive the world, not just lecture them from outside it.

Not About Making Schools Tougher

This isn’t about making schools more challenging. It’s about making them safer and wiser. I’m not saying this will solve everything — it won’t. But it could make a dent. It could give young people the tools to stand tall without steel in their pockets.

Current Gaps

Currently, we have dozens of excellent local programmes doing outreach, for example: Violence Reduction Units, Street Doctors, Safety Box, and Medics Against Violence etc. But there’s no national strategy tying these efforts together — and no requirement for schools to offer practical skills to resist fear and peer pressure. That’s where we’re missing the mark.

Building a National Strategy

Let’s build on what’s working. Let’s combine trauma-informed teaching with structured self-defence. Let’s build strength from the inside out.

Let’s make it cool again not to carry knives.

Knife Crime Policy – 10-Year Cost-Benefit Analysis (11-18)* -if we fund it correctly!

Report date: 14 August 2025

Summary
Possession:

~4,038 per year now

falling to ~146 by Year 10 (~96.4% reduction).
Injuries:

~1,262 per year now

falling to ~150 by Year 10 (~88.1% reduction).
Fatalities:

- 15 per year now

falling to ~3 by Year 10 (~80.7% reduction).
Cost of 10-year programme:

~£851m

*Full detailed benefit analysis available upon request

HomeSafe

Lifetime-Fixed, Portable Mortgages + Cost-of-Living Shield

One payment you can plan around, your payment. For good.

Why this matters

Rate shocks and high energy bills are hitting families.
Moving home often forces a costly remortgage, trapping people in their current location.
We need a mortgage that gives stability, flexibility, and lower running costs.

What HomeSafe does

Lifetime-fixed mortgage (30–40 years)
- One rate for the life of the loan, ensuring predictable monthly payments.
Portable and assumable
- Take your mortgage with you when you move, or let a buyer assume it (subject to affordability checks). This reduces “mortgage lock-in”.
Cost-of-Living Shield (optional add-on)
- Rolls energy-efficiency upgrades (insulation, heat pumps, solar) into a single fixed payment so that bills can decrease from day one.

Who it is for

Remortgagors facing rate resets.
First-time buyers who need predictable payments to pass affordability.
Movers who want to keep their deal.
Renters via a rent-to-own pilot with participating providers.

How it works (public backstop, private delivery)

Banks and building societies offer standardised HomeSafe mortgages.
A sovereign covered-bond / RMBS platform provides long-dated funding to match the fixed term.
The government provides a capped first-loss reserve (for example, 3–5%), funded by a small risk premium in the rate, with no open-ended guarantees.

Eligibility and safeguards

Standard affordability rules apply, including a debt-to-income cap (for example, 4.0–4.5x) and a loan-to-value cap (up to 95% for first-time buyers with an EPC upgrade plan).
Hard stress-testing: affordability checked at a margin above the fixed coupon.
Overpayments are allowed (for example, up to 10% per year), with transparent fees if exceeded.
Portability and assumability require underwriting at transfer to protect borrowers and lenders.
At higher LTVs, an EPC uplift is required within 24 months if you choose the Shield.

What people get (plain-English benefits)

Payment stability for decades, not just a 2–5 year fix.
Flexibility to move without losing your deal.
Lower running costs are achieved when the Shield upgrades are chosen.
More straightforward household budgeting and less financial stress.
A healthier housing market with fewer broken chains.

Measuring success (transparent KPIs we will publish)

Arrears and prepayment rates compared with standard mortgages.
Mobility: moves completed using portability or assumption (no full refinance).
Energy outcomes: EPC improvement and measured monthly bill reduction.
Share of income spent on housing and energy; variance over time.
Customer Outcomes: Complaints and Satisfaction Metrics.

Implementation plan

Months 0–3: Finalise the product standard; legislate for portability/assumability; set up the bond platform.
Months 4–6: Onboard lenders; publish consumer-friendly disclosures and APR examples.
Months 7–18: Pilot with 50k–75k mortgages across several lenders; independent evaluation.
Years 2–3: Open to remortgages nationally; roll out the Shield bundles.
Years 4–5: Nationwide availability; tweak parameters based on evidence.

Risks and how we manage them

Duration/rate risk for lenders: matched covered bonds and optional hedging.
Over-borrowing risk: clear DTI/LTV caps and strict affordability tests.
House-price pressure: pair with supply measures; cap volumes if a local market overheats.
Mobility lock-in: solved through portability and assumability by default.

Lender Impact & Safeguards

HomeSafe has been designed to enable banks and building societies to offer it without incurring long-term revenue losses compared to today’s mortgage model.

Current system (35-year projection): £814–£826bn gross revenue
HomeSafe projection: £600bn gross revenue
Gap: £214–£226bn over the term

Two targeted measures can close that gap entirely:

Reduced capital reserve requirements (Basel rules) – ~£110bn benefit
Tax relief or incentives on qualifying loans – ~£110–£120bn benefit

Combined effect: HomeSafe becomes revenue-neutral for lenders, while delivering stability and flexibility for borrowers.

HomeSafe – Illustrative Model

Report date: 14 August 2025

Example loan: £250,000 over 35 years
- HomeSafe lifetime-fixed at 3.99%: about £1,140 per month
- Standard variable benchmark at 6.50%: about £1,520 per month
- Difference: roughly £380 less per month
Energy upgrade illustration (if using the Shield):
- £10,000 insulation/efficiency package at 3.99% over 35 years adds about £45 per month.
- Typical bill savings range: about £30 to £80 per month.
- Net monthly impact: from approximately £15 to £ 35, depending on the home.
Notes: figures are examples to show the idea, not advice. Actual rates, terms and savings vary.

*Full detailed benefit analysis available upon request

Fresh Start Policy

A national reintegration and prevention programme for people leaving care, custody, or institutional settings — and for those at high risk of exclusion through poverty or disadvantage.

A hand-up, not a Hand-Out!

Core Vision

Nobody should leave care, prison, or hospital without hope, a plan, and a positive community to step into. Fresh Start Networks gives every person a fighting chance to rejoin society — breaking cycles of poverty and exclusion, reducing reoffending, improving wellbeing, and saving public money

The Three Pillars

1. Hope & Knowledge

- Pre-release/pre-exit education sessions explaining the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, job eligibility timelines, and realistic career pathways.
- Individual career guidance before exit or referral, tailored to strengths, interests, and legal realities.
- Workshops on confidence, CV building, and navigating disclosure rules.

2. Safe & Stable Foundations

- Guaranteed safe housing away from old, harmful environments.
- Basic financial support (covering food, transport, essentials) for a fixed period.
- Access to a trusted reintegration mentor — independent from statutory agencies, but able to coordinate with them and access funding for essentials.

3. Belonging & Positive Peer Networks

- Weekly peer-support meetings modelled on AA/NA — but focused on reintegration and prevention rather than addiction.
- Separate streams for different backgrounds (care leavers, youth custody leavers, adult custody leavers, mental health discharge, high-risk community referrals) to keep relevance high.
- Encouragement of community service or volunteering to build purpose and local ties.

The Two-Tier Model

Tier 1 – Mandatory, fully funded support for all institutional leavers. A legal requirement ensures that no one leaves care, custody, or a hospital without a Fresh Start plan in place, which is co-signed by the person, their mentor, and the relevant authority.

Tier 2 – Targeted access for people already in the community but at clear, demonstrable risk of exclusion, homelessness, or offending. Referral-based access is granted via independent panels or trusted community referrers, ensuring early intervention without overwhelming resources.

How It Works

1. Exit Plan Legal Requirement – Tier 1 participants must have an agreed Fresh Start plan before release.
2. First 90 Days Priority – Intensive contact during the first 90 days, including at least two peer group meetings per week.
3. Prevention Pathway – Tier 2 participants receive similar support, scaled to risk level, with a focus on avoiding escalation.
4. Funding Model – Redirect part of the savings from reduced reoffending and crisis interventions into sustaining the programme. Public, charitable, and private-sector partners can contribute.

Why It Works

- Reduces reoffending, homelessness, and poverty — breaking the ‘release–relapse–return’ cycle.
- Stops crises before they start — preventing costly institutionalisation.
- Saves money — fewer court cases, less prison time, reduced emergency housing costs.
- Builds stronger communities — people return or remain as contributors, not repeat statistics.

Fresh Start Policy – 10-Year Cost-Benefit Analysis* -if we fund it correctly!

Report date: 14 August 2025

Summary
People Supported:

~100,000 over 10yrs
Overall Cost:

~£851 million over 10yrs

Total Savings:

- £1.93 billion over 10yrs
Net Gain to Society/Treasury:

~£1.08 billion over 10yrs

*Full detailed benefit analysis available upon request

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For permission requests, please contact bill@billdoody.co.uk

Policy Hub

Knife Crime

A new approach to tackling youth violence through prevention, discipline, and cultural change

Why This Matters to Me

The Cultural Problem

The Policy Proposal

Changing Peer Culture

Not About Making Schools Tougher

Current Gaps

Building a National Strategy

Let’s make it cool again not to carry knives.

Knife Crime Policy – 10-Year Cost-Benefit Analysis (11-18)* -if we fund it correctly!

HomeSafe

Lifetime-Fixed, Portable Mortgages + Cost-of-Living Shield

Why this matters

What HomeSafe does

Who it is for

How it works (public backstop, private delivery)

Eligibility and safeguards

What people get (plain-English benefits)

Measuring success (transparent KPIs we will publish)

Implementation plan

Risks and how we manage them

Lender Impact & Safeguards

HomeSafe – Illustrative Model

Fresh Start Policy

A national reintegration and prevention programme for people leaving care, custody, or institutional settings — and for those at high risk of exclusion through poverty or disadvantage.

A hand-up, not a Hand-Out!

Core Vision

The Three Pillars

1. Hope & Knowledge

2. Safe & Stable Foundations

3. Belonging & Positive Peer Networks

The Two-Tier Model

How It Works

Why It Works

Fresh Start Policy – 10-Year Cost-Benefit Analysis* -if we fund it correctly!

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