20 Ways To Tackle The Housing Crisis

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has set out its key recommendations for dealing with the UK’s dire housing crisis. With a new government and the leave result of the EU referendum, it’s more vital than ever to ensure design quality isn’t comprised as we ramp up the construction industry to keep Britain’s economy growing and build much needed new homes. The new policy document, ‘Housing Matters: #20ways to tackle the housing crisis’, advocates better use of public resources and public sector land, more locally-made decisions, greater focus on good design, increased support for new types of housing development, sustainable and resilient homes and a more transparent housing market. Download a copy of the recommendations from the RIBA website.

Regulator in Resource Crisis

The social housing regulator has admitted it lacks the resources to function effectively and plans to lobby the government to enable it to recruit staff more quickly.  HCA regulation committee members raised concerns about how stretched the regulator has become at its meeting in October. Committee members were ‘worried the regulator did not have enough resources in the right places in order to deliver all the outputs expected of it’. Senior figures at the regulator are privately frustrated that recruitment of staff to new positions must be agreed by the CLG, which can take several months.  Read more on Inside Housing.