What More Should Government Do To Promote The Building Of New Homes

 A contribution from the members of the Lyons Housing Commission November 2016  Faced with the consequences of decades of failure to build the homes the country needs, public concern about housing is now at the highest it has been for 40 years. In the two years since the Lyons Housing Commission published its review of housing supply, tackling the housing crisis has risen up the national political agenda and is firmly embedded as a top priority for government. Building on recommendations from our previous report this article sets out a number of proposals for the Government to consider as part of its White Paper. Download the report from the Housingnet website.

Lyons Experts Criticise Homeownership Focus

The government is too focused on homeownership and needs to do more to help those who cannot buy, a commission of experts has warned. The Lyons Commission, originally formed by then Labour leader Ed Miliband in autumn 2013, has reconvened on a “wholly independent basis” to review the current government’s housing policy. In a report published via the National Housing Federation, the Lyons experts warned the government is “leading an orchestra made up only of the strings section” through its focus on homeownership. It also urged the government to “clearly acknowledge” the role of housing associations and councils in boosting housing supply and called for closer working with the industry to develop Starter Homes. Download the report from the NHF website.

Labour Plans for Housebuilding

The Labour party has released a report based on a commission led by Sir Michael Lyons into the housing and planning policies needed to reach the 200,000 homes-a-year target. The Lyons housing review states that under a Labour government:

·         Up to half of new homes will be reserved for sale to local people.

·         Councils will restrict the number of homes sold for buy-to-let.

·         Local authorities will be able to designate housing growth areas.

·         The planning inspectorate will have increased powers to force councils to develop a housing plan.

·         Local authorities will not be able to borrow money to build, but housing will be a priority of the government’s capital spend.

·         Councils that have reached the HRA cap will be able to borrow from other councils that haven’t.

·         Groups of local authorities could form new Homes Corporations with strong planning powers.

·         There will be measures to underwrite loans to help small builders.

Download the full report from the yourbritain website.