Nearly three in five (57%) British residents aren’t confident the new government can meet its target of delivering 1.5 million new homes in five years, data from tradespeople firm MyBuilder.com has revealed.
People feel more cynical about the 1.5 million target the older they get, as nearly three quarters (72%) of over-55s don’t think this aim is achievable.
Labour has looked to stimulate more housebuilding by bringing housebuilding targets back, tackling Nimbyism by preventing local communities from blocking developments, reforming compulsory purchase rules, and reforming town hall planning committees.
Andy Simms, from MyBuilder.com, said: “It’s great to see that the new government is keen to prioritise house building when there is such a problem in this area.
“Government incentives helped the UK see a spike in trades apprenticeships, but in 2021 nearly half of this apprenticeship levy was unspent.
“The government must work with the education system to promote the trades as a career path, or we will be facing bigger shortages than ever at a time when house building needs to be a priority for the British people.”
Labour has a huge mountain to climb, as research shows that house building volumes need to be doubled for the party for meet its pledge to build 1.5 million homes in five years.
Bristol has the least confidence, with 70% believing the goals would not be met, while Londoners had more confidence, with less than half (48%) stating that they did not think the government would achieve its goals.
In the 2019 manifesto the Conservatives pledged to build 300,000 new homes per year by the mid 2020s, but the party fell well-short of this pledge, while Rishi Sunak dropped the housebuilding target altogether in late 2022.
