Details of housing reform in UK to be given soon in official White Paper

A Housing White Paper will set out further details of a comprehensive package of reforms to increase housing supply and tackle rising housing costs in the UK, it has been confirmed.

Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said that they believe the details will address the needs of people at different stages of their lives, ensuring the housing market works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

The Autumn Statement detailed investment of over £7.2 billion in housing and the Government now expects to double, in real terms, annual capital spending on housing over the course of the current Parliament which is due to run until 2020.

Barwell pointed out that the latest house building figures just released show housing starts are at their highest level in more than eight years while housing completions have increased by 7% compared with the same quarter a year earlier.

He believes that the further investment will help create a step change in the number of new homes being built, both in this Parliament and beyond.

The new investment includes a new Housing Infrastructure Fund of £2.3 billion to unlock new housing supply with the potential to deliver up to 100,000 homes and £1.4 billion to deliver an additional 40,000 affordable housing starts by 2020 to 2021.

In addition, the government will relax restrictions on grant funding so providers can deliver a mix of homes for affordable rent and low cost ownership, to meet the housing needs of people at different stages of their lives.

‘We have been clear that we need to build a lot more homes if we are to achieve a country that works for everyone. That is why we are announcing the biggest dedicated housing investment in a generation to get house building firing on all cylinders,’ said Javid.

‘With a doubling in capital spending, we are injecting the stimulus the market needs for a step change in the number of homes being built in the places people want to live – both in this Parliament and beyond,’ he added.

Barwell confirmed that the details should be available shortly. ‘The Government has set out an ambition of creating a country that works for everyone. The Autumn Statement ensures we are taking steps to deliver this by building more of the right homes, in the right places.
We will shortly be setting out further details to increase housing supply and tackle rising housing costs in our Housing White Paper,’ he added.

Further housing measures announced include funding an expanded regional pilot of the Right to Buy for housing association tenants and the launch of a consultation on banning letting agents from charging fees to tenants.