Government: “Build, build, build, build!”

I might just change my name to Bob the Builder after this week! I feel genuinely very positive after the Labour (and the LibDem) conferences.

We had a very good fringe event at the LibDem conference and it was heartening to hear the commitment to building more homes and the reminder that the LibDems stood on a manifesto commitment to build 380k new homes a year.

Labour had so much commitment to house building that I can’t even mention it all but I will summarise for you:

The Labour YIMBY group (c.a. 120 MPs and hundreds of Councillors) were out in force and actively campaigning for more homes to be built. This will make things a lot easier for the Government to pass legislation to get things moving.

So, selected highlights include:

Rachel Reeves in her speech said: “What you will see in your town, your city, is a sight that we have not seen often enough in our country - shovels in the ground, cranes in the sky, the sounds and the sights of the future arriving. We will make that a reality.” Reaffirming that the Treasury is firmly behind the plans and when the Treasury says things need to happen… they happen!

Keir Starmer mentioned housing and planning a number of times and reaffirmed his commitment with: “we want home ownership to be a credible aspiration for our children, then every community has a duty to contribute to that purpose.”

Then we had the keynote speech by Angela Rayner: “The simple aspiration of a safe, secure and affordable home is further out of reach than ever and we can’t go on like this. So, change must begin at home. We will get Britain building and building decent homes for working people.”

“A new planning framework will unlock the door to affordable homes and provide the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation… Whether you’re a leaseholder, a tenant, a home-buyer or without somewhere to live – this government is on your side.”

“But my mission is not just to build houses, it is to build homes. Because we cannot build at any cost. These new homes must be warm, secure and most importantly safe.

We will give families the security they need to have the best start in life. I know first-hand the difference a decent home can make. When I was growing up we didn’t have a lot. But we had a safe and secure home. Today, not everyone does.”

The commitment to getting the country building is very strong and the Members of Parliament is very much on side with this. This is a policy that is echoed from every corner of the Government and I am very keen to see how they deliver the changes.

We know that the New Towns Taskforce is under way and the NPPF is on it’s way (slightly delayed by the level of responses… apparently!)

But I for one feel very optimistic! Let’s get building people!

Until next week,

Henry