The Government faces tough fiscal choices – nevertheless spending on housing will support growth, reduce future costs to other departments (welfare, healthcare) and is essential to deliver the Government’s ambition of 1.5 million homes.
The Housing Forum’s Roadmap to 1.5 million homes sets out what the housing sector knows is needed. We have also published the Costs of Building a House, which highlights how Government can reduce costs, freeing up more funding for infrastructure and affordable housing.
We’re calling for:
Funding for Affordable Housing and supporting the housing and construction sector into recovery
- Creation of a £4bn Housing Accelerator Fund, frontloading investment at the time it’s needed.
- A significant increase in the size of the Affordable Homes Programme
- Certainty over future rent increases, alongside convergence to target rents, to bring additional money into the housing sector.
- Funding to fully cover the costs of building safety remediation
- A larger increase in the Public Works Loan Board rate, to help leverage in private finance.
- Tax changes to support growth of the for-profit Registered Provider sector, around SDLT, VAT and Corporation Tax.
- The removal of VAT from retrofitting, regeneration and fire safety work.
Resourcing the planning system
- Better resourcing the planning system
Supporting first-time buyers and tenure choice and diversity
- Supporting households who aspire to home ownership but cannot afford to buy unaided, targeted at newbuild.
- Reinstating the Community Housing Fund
Skills and workforce
- Investment in FE Colleges, including continued professional development for teachers.
- Investment in low carbon building technologies.
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A Quality Home for All
The Housing Forum campaigns for a quality home for all. If you’d like to find out more about our mission, we’d love to talk to you.