Today the cross-party Lords Built Environment Committee has
published its report, ‘Meeting housing demand’.
The report concludes that the Government must address the
many barriers that exist to building much needed new
homes. Too many people currently live in expensive,
unsuitable, and poor-quality homes and housing supply needs to be
increased now to tackle the housing crisis.
The role of SMEs in the housebuilding industry
has collapsed. SMEs should be supported by reducing planning
risk, making more small sites available, and increasing access to
finance.
The population is ageing and by 2050 one in four people in the UK
will be over 65. The country needs more specialist and mainstream
housing suitable for the elderly.
Uncertainty and delays to planning reforms have
had a 'chilling effect' on housebuilding and created uncertainty
for housebuilders and planners. We need more up-to-date local
plans, and these need to be simpler, clearer, and more
transparent. Planning departments need more resource to avert an
emerging crisis.
The Government’s own figures show that skills
shortages accounted for 36% of all construction
vacancies and 48% of all manufacturing and skilled trades
vacancies. Skills shortages must be addressed, through broadening
the base of talent, upskilling and reskilling, including for the
green skills needed to address climate change. The Apprenticeship
Levy needs urgent reform. We call for the New Homes Ombudsman’s
powers to be robust and adequately enforced to ensure homes are
built to high standards of quality and design.
Government must change its approach to spending on
housing. Over time the money spent on housing benefit
should be invested in increasing the social housing stock. Right
to Buy schemes are not good value for money: increasing the
housing supply would be a more effective use of funding.
DBE CMG, Chair of
the House of Lords Built Environment Committee, said:
“The Government’s ambitious target of 300,000 new homes per year
will only be met if Government takes action to remove the
barriers for housebuilders, particularly for SMEs who 35 years
ago built 39% of new homes but now build just 10%.
“The planning system needs urgent reform. Currently, less than
half of local authorities have an up-to-date local plan: more
councils need simple, clear and transparent local plans. Any new
planning system will only work if local planning authorities have
the resources and staff
to implement it.
“Skills shortages in the construction, design and planning
sectors must be addressed to unlock the required development,
including the green skills needed to address climate change.
“Uncertainty and the absence of a clear policy direction has only
exacerbated housing problems. Our report provides a package of
proposals to help deliver much needed housing and address the
critical undersupply of new homes.”
