The much anticipated housing White Paper aimed at setting out what the Government is going to do to boost and improve the UK housing supply has been delayed until the New Year.
It had been imminent with the recent autumn statement suggesting it was about to be published but now Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has admitted it will not be ready this year.
The paper, which will lay out Goverment plans on tackling the housing crisis and also give details on one million new homes that will be built by 2020 it more likely to be published towards the end of January 2017.
He told the House of Commons that the details of billions of pounds of funding will be set out in a range of ‘radical plans’ to boost the nation’s housing supply.
In the autumn statement Chancellor Philip Hammond said that the White Paper will look at key issues including the new £2.3 billion fund to produce infrastructure for up to 100,000 new homes in areas of high demand.
The UK population is set to increase by 10 million in the next 25 years, leading to an even greater scramble for homes and the property industry has pointed out that the Government is currently failing to meet its own target of 250,00 new homes a year.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) recently set out 10 recommendations to get more people into suitable housing ahead of the publication of the White Paper, stating that the status quo is ‘clearly unsustainable’.
It called for a step change in house building, including the creation of more rental homes, if the government is to meet its ambition of a million new homes by 2020.
‘Home ownership will remain an aspiration for many, but is not the only answer. While there is great value in giving those who aspire to buy their own home the opportunity to do so, it is important that government is also encouraging a wide range of new housing tenures to be delivered that will be of benefit for all,’ the CBI said.
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.
