Housing is our Priority

Pre-election debate on the political importance of housing supply and a quality home for all.

Partnerships, like those supported by The Housing Forum, are the way to get housing moving in the right direction.

Only 6,700 council homes were completed in 2018. Local authorities need more support and we cannot delay for them to provide a counter-cyclical provision in the market. We need to find ways to build and enhance those partnerships now, or over the next year or two, that actually will benefit us when the time comes.

Skill shortages are a real concern – where are the professional staff going to come from? How are we going to get the people to build the houses? And where are the materials going to come from after Brexit?

Procurement has got to be addressed properly, especially with the golden thread, and the ownership of responsibility and so has planning – much of the new housing output is disappointing.

That is making politicians lose confidence in the housing industry’s ability to develop the housing that they want to see in their districts.

Too often, housing associations have been grateful recipients of section 106 and just taken what they were given, with very little technical expertise to challenge what has been built. They need to skill up internally, in order to be a much better client, and to be at the forefront of the design process, which leads to new homes being built.