Policy
Report Outlines Practical Steps Out of the Housing Crisis
The Housing Forum has published a new report titled Housing Solutions: Practical insights from the housing sector, looking to outline the most effective measures that can be taken in order to remove barriers to the increase in housing supply desperately needed in the UK. Whilst the report acknowledges the positive policy changes made so far, and the introduction of more ambitious housing targets, it also acknowledges the rising costs that have continued to make housebuilding increasingly unviable.
The report asks four key questions:
• What are the best cost-free policy changes that could help?
• What are the best ways Government could spend money to help?
• What should the housing sector do better?
• How should we be planning for the long-term?
The report seeks to source recommendations to the end of three ambitions:
1. Increase housing supply
A Quality Home for All our citizens is essential. Housing must be seen as part of the growth agenda – as essential as transport infrastructure – and needed to address labour shortages in many areas.
2. Improve quality, safety and sustainability
Housing must be warm, dry, safe and able to tackle increasingly extreme weather events such as heatwaves. New homes should be zero-carbon ready. Older homes need upgrading, and we need innovative new ways to build homes with lower embodied carbon.
3. Ensure affordable housing and choice for all
Funding is needed for affordable housing sector to deliver homes for those in need. A lack of housing destroys lives. A range of housing tenures and products for rental and ownership are needed to ensure choice for all generations.
Cost-free policy changes
The report starts by suggesting a number of policy changes that could reinvigorate housing delivery completely free-of-cost. First time buyer support is a key piece of the puzzle, which the report argues could be filled by developer-funded loan models to help firsttime buyers on to the property ladder. Other cost-free improvements include increasing the income thresholds for shared ownership, increased in line with inflation to £ 120,000
48 Issue 28