Labour’s promise to build 1.5 million homes in England has come under scrutiny after the number of new homes in England continued to fall during the first six months that Labour was in power. Despite this, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner insists that the party remain committed to its target of building 300,000 new homes a year and meeting the housing shortage. Speaking to the BBC over the weekend, Rayner acknowledged that this promise was going to be “really difficult,” but refuted any idea that this goal should be revisited. The government has promised to meet this target by 2029, despite concerns about a chronic shortage of skilled workers, build materials, and private housebuilders’ willingness to deliver the number of new homes each year.
To achieve this aim, Rayner’s department has laid out proposals to speed up the home-buying process and empower leaseholders. The government plans to reduce transaction times by implementing digital identity services and data sharing. Currently, paperwork related to home sales can take months to go through. This plan could make crucial information available to key parties almost instantaneously, with necessary identity checks carried out once. Additionally, the government plans to empower leaseholders to take more control of their buildings via right-to-manage. However, homebuyers and experts are still skeptical about the Labour Party’s housing target and whether it can realistically be addressed.
Notably, the Conservative party promised to build more than 1.5 million new homes in their 2024 election manifesto, but former Conservative MP and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan emphasised that the pace of homebuilding was still “too slow.” Despite the difficulties of achieving this target, Labour’s promise to build more homes is hoped to reduce house prices and make home-buying and renting more accessible, especially for young individuals. Building 300,000 new homes per year has not been accomplished since the 1970s.
Although concerns of a shortage of skilled workers, build materials, and the willingness of private housebuilders to deliver the number of new homes each year are prevalent, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner maintains that Labour is committed to its housing target. The housing industry has shown doubts about this target’s feasibility, but the government intends to expedite the home buying process and empower leaseholders through right-to-manage legislation. In this regard, the government is focusing on developing digital identity services and data-sharing, to provide the necessary information to involved parties almost immediately. Finally, Labour’s promise to build more homes is intended to reduce house prices and provide younger individuals easier access to home-buying and renting in the hopes of meeting the housing shortage in England
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