John Glenton comments on the announcement to reintroduce mandatory local housing targets

The new Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves used her first speech to the Treasury to announce plans to reintroduce mandatory local housing targets, reform the planning system and create a “task force to accelerate stalled housing sites in our country”.

Our Executive Director for Care & Support John Glenton commented on the announcement:

“Reintroducing local housing targets will help to incentivise the need to deliver more much-needed new homes in the right places.

“According to YouGov polling housing was consistently the fourth most significant issue for voters during the General Election with voters only more concerned about the economy, the NHS and immigration and asylum.

“However, increasing housebuilding and creating more good quality homes will help provide solutions to the nation’s top three concerns by boosting the economy, reducing demand on the NHS and delivering a safe, secure home.

“Currently more than 54,000 acres of Green Belt land is classified as contaminated land providing enough pace to build more than one million homes.

“No-one wants to see high-quality Green Belt land built upon but we need to stop treating contaminated and low-quality Green Belt lands as if it’s the height of Helvellyn, although planning reform comes with its own set of challenges and might be as gruelling as climbing a mountain.

“However, planning reform alone is not enough – as public finances improve the government must also provide significant grant funding to deliver the social homes we need.

“Ultimately, if we are to bring the 145,800 homeless children out of temporary accommodation in England and seriously work towards ending homelessness, we need to get on and build more social homes so it’s encouraging to see the Treasury already taking a strong house building stance.”

Read more in Housing Today here.