Sector’s leaders welcome Labour government’s ‘clear commitment’ to housing in King’s Speech

The newly elected Labour government’s inaugural King’s Speech has been well-received by senior figures in the housing sector, with many commending the government’s “clear commitment” to housing evidenced in its legislative priorities outlined today.. 

As expected, planning was at the heart of today’s King’s Speech, nonetheless, housing leaders have warned that while planning reforms are key to building 1.5 million new homes, adequate funding is also needed. Legal experts have also stressed the need for Labour to move at pace, raising the question as to how long the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will take to pass.

A senior figure at an older people’s housing provider has emphasised the need to carefully consider the type of homes built, highlighting the absence of local authority targets for affordable extra care accommodation.

Housebuilders have voiced support for Labour’s brownfield and ‘grey belt’-first approach, but have said that the government will also need to ‘open its eyes’ to the reality of building on the green belt.

Here is a round-up of what key figures in the sector have said so far.

Kate Henderson, chief executive at the National Housing Federation, said that today’s King’s Speech outlined some “important and welcome first steps towards tackling the housing crisis and increasing the delivery of desperately needed affordable and social homes”.

Henderson added that the NHF looks forward “to working closely with the government to ensure that a revitalised planning system delivers the number and types of affordable homes the country needs. We’re also pleased to see the government commit to abolishing section 21 no-fault evictions to provide private renters with greater security and protect those on low incomes from the risk of homelessness”.

However, she stated that while the NHF fully supports the government’s plan to build 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament, “this will not be possible through planning reform alone and will need to be met with the right funding”.

>> See also: New government sets out plans for housing and planning in first King’s Speech

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Henderson continued: “We will continue to make the case for these changes to form part of a nationally coordinated and fully funded long-term plan for housing which places social housing at its core. Housing associations stand ready to support the government on this to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.”

Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “As the new Parliament returns to business it’s good to see the King’s speech outlining plans for legislation to address housing supply, renters’ rights and leasehold reform, underpinned by a strong commitment to devolution.

”We need to shift the dial on housing and we welcome the government’s ambition to do that.  As always, the underpinning detail and timings will be key to understanding the opportunities and challenges for the housing sector, but we look forward to working with the new Government to ensure everyone has a decent, secure and affordable place to call home.”

Anna Clarke, director of Policy & Public Affairs at The Housing Forum said the proposals will “doubtless” improve delivery of homes, but cautioned that more details are needed along with additional support for local planning authoritis.

She said: ”Reforming CPO rules is a helpful start but a robust legal framework is needed to give councils confidence in using them. Likewise, recruiting more planning officers is a useful start, but does not address wider recruitment and retention issues in this area. 

Geeta Nanda, chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, said: “Today’s King Speech further demonstrates how this government grasps the importance of housing to the UK’s future growth and prosperity.

“Planning reform is a key component of a long-term plan for housing, and we are pleased by the government’s clear commitment to this. Today’s speech also contains a basis for which to ensure this reform can be effective through greater devolution of planning powers to elected mayors and local authorities, who are well placed to identify suitable land for housing”.

Tracy Harrison, chief executive at the Northern Housing Consortium,  said: “The government’s focus on housing is good news for northerners. The proposals set out in the King’s Speech to build more homes, including desperately needed social rent homes, are especially welcome.

Harrison added that “there is enough brownfield land in the North to build up to 320,000 new homes, making a significant contribution to tackling the housing crisis”.

She also welcomed the government’s commitment to extending the Decent Homes Standard and strengthening renters’ rights in the private rented sector, adding that local authority enforcement capacity “will be critical in delivering real change”.

On Labour’s announcement of a new planning and infrastructure bill, Chris Bowes, a partner at law firm CMS, said: “Improvements to the planning regime can only be a good thing”.

He added: “But the proposal to achieve this through another piece of primary legislation, in the shape of a new Planning and Infrastructure Bill, is of concern given how long it took the previous administration to get the last piece of planning legislation onto the statute books”. 

However, he said it is hoped that Labour’s large majority will deliver the new laws quickly. 

Spencer J. McCarthy, chairman and chief executive officer at Churchill Living, stated: “We entirely agree that the planning system is broken and Britain’s economic recovery depends on building high-quality homes - but laudable ambitions are merely foundations, not the bricks and mortar of success. We need to see the detail and the delivery. How exactly will they speed up planning? How many years will it take? This bill must be top of the agenda to push through in the new parliament.”

Lee Bloomfield, chief executive of Bradford-based Manningham Housing Association, welcomed the measures outlined in the King’s speech aimed at delivering new homes, but said: “we have been here before”.

Bloomfield added: “The country has endured a deepening housing crisis for many years which has curtailed life chances and stunted economic progress in deprived communities.

“Sadly, successive governments have backed away from their housebuilding commitments after encountering opposition either within their own ranks or from local pressure groups.

He said that “politicians from all parties” must accept the need to build new homes “rather than habitually opposing local housebuilding for political gain”.

Findlay MacAlpine, CEO of for-profit provider of affordable homes for older people, Preferred Homes, said: ”Anything that will speed up the delivery of housebuilding has to be welcomed, but there is a blind spot around what kind of homes are needed.  The UK has focused on sticking plaster solutions for too long.  Now we need to grasp the nettle. 

”We have an ageing population and yet no local authority targets for affordable extra care accommodation.  This means many older, vulnerable people are stuck in unsuitable, often family-sized housing, or have to move to a care home pre-emptively.  This is very costly for cash-strapped local authorities so we need more fit-for-purpose housing to make it possible for people to move at the right time and be supported to live independently for longer.”

On Labour’s brownfield-first approach to development, Wayne Douglas, managing director at housebuilder City and Country, said: “The immediate and only way to generate the required volume of housing is to reform the planning system, but in order to do that the Labour Party must open its eyes to the reality of building on the green belt.”

Douglas added that Labour must “move fast to set the tone for housing delivery over the next five years”, adding that the government needs to look closely at the country’s protected land and remove “the shackles on the so-called green belt”.