Calls for Government to build to tackle UK Property Shortage

Calls for Government to building to tackle UK Property Shortage.  Ministers urge May to introduce policy which would see local councils forced build new homes. There is growing pressure to solve the ‘housing crisis’. Furthermore, MP’s attempt to balance new house building policy with concerns from their constituents who are fearful of overcrowding.

Lack of Confidence in May to address the issue.

A recent YouGov poll suggested that just 4% of 18-24-year-olds trust the Conservatives to deal with the problem of housing. However, In stark contrast, the Labour party scored 44%. According to official figures homeowners would have to pay on average 7.6 times their annual earnings to buy a house in 2016. Whereas this figure was a realistic 3.6 times annual earnings in 1997.

What the Campaigners Say

Housing campaigners urged the prime minister to be bold. Gill Payne, the executive director of public impact at the National Housing Federation, said: “Getting this right will be a show of the strength of government’s commitment to building the homes the nation needs. Getting a consistent and accurate picture of housing need is really important. It cements into the local plan the number of homes that need to be delivered.” Polly Neate, the chief executive of Shelter, said. “We hope these changes will help to simplify and join up the way councils across the country assess housing need in their areas, and it’s vital that the new proposals work to deliver as many affordable homes as possible. “It’s important to remember that developers can still often build whatever they like, regardless of whether it meets what the council says is needed or not. The government must now take action to change this, by giving councils more power to get housing built that will meet the needs of their community.” Successive governments have sought to make property ownership more affordable. However, ambitious building targets have Successive governments have tried to make property ownership more affordable. However, they have frequently missed building targets. Housebuilding slumped after the financial crash from more than 215,000 homes a year in 2007-8 to 133,000 in 2012-13. Therefore showing signs of recovery, but still not reaching the pre-crisis level momentum. Read More: Second Home Ownership in the UK Rises