link to ringley website
  • Home
  • About Us
    About us & leadership Awards Savings for Clients Case Studies Green Management Strategies Market Overview Leasehold Reform Campaign Money Back Guarantee
  • Our Services
    • Asset Management
      • UK Asset Management
      • Project Monitoring
      • ESG Consultancy & Implementation
      • PropTech & Living Sectors Platform
      • Marketing Insights
      • Resident Journey
      • Stabilised Assets
      • UK Build to Rent
      • UK Later Living
      • UK Co-Living
      • UK Student Accommodation
      • UK Single Family Housing
    • Block Management
      • Overview - London
      • Overview - Wales & West
      • Overview - Southwest
      • Right to Manage
      • Freehold Management
      • Resident Management
      • Estates of Houses
      • Ground Rent Collection
      • How to change agent?
      • Block Management Services
      • Can't afford an agent?
      • Legal & Tribunals
      • Top 10 Tips
      • Report an incident
    • Commercial Management
    • Law
      • Overview
      • Meet The Team
      • Recommendations
      • Right to Manage
      • Lease Extensions
      • Freehold Purchase
      • Absentee Freeholder
      • Court Appointed Manager
      • Conveyancing - Wales
      • Conveyancing - England
      • Service Charge/Rent Arrears Recovery
      • Company Secretary
    • Property Valuations
      • Overview
      • Loan Security
      • Company Accounts
      • Lease Extensions
      • Freehold Purchase
      • Rent Reviews
      • Ground Rent Investment
      • Development Valuations
      • Expert Witness & Litigation
      • Tax, Trusts & Accounts Valuations
      • Trading Business
      • Compulsory Purchase
      • Residential Valuations
    • Engineering
      • Overview
      • EWS1 Consultancy
      • Asbestos
      • Contract Administration
      • Fire Assesment
      • Homebuyer Survey
      • Building Survey
      • Schedules
      • Party Wall Matters
      • Principle Designer
      • Disability Access Audits
      • Small Building Works
      • Fire Door Inspection
      • Insurance Valuations
    • Property Accounting
      • Finance
      • Quote For Service Charge Accounts?
      • Property Accounting Law
      • Accounting Updates
      • To Audit or Not?
    • Plant & Facilities Management
      • Plant & Facilities Management
      • Fire Door Inspection APP
      • Fire Safety Update
    • Site Staffing Solutions
      • Ringley Integrated Site Staff Solutions
    • Leasehold Guidance
      • Overview
      • Right to Manage
      • Purchasing The Freehold
      • Court Appointed Manager
      • Absentee Freeholder
  • Insights
    Asset Management Articles Block Management Blogs Publications BTR Rental Market Blogs Customer Insights FAQ - Ask Our Experts Insurance Calculator
  • ESG
  • E-books
  • Get In Touch
  •    
  • Work with us
  •  
  • Portal Login
Angela Rayner Faces Pressure Over Housing Pledge of 1.5 Million Homes as Target Appears Unachievable

Written by: Lee Harle 07/07/2025
  0       0
Responsive image

In 2024, UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner made a bold commitment. Speaking at the UKREiiF property conference in Leeds, she promised that the Labour government would build 1.5 million homes within five years. The announcement was met with strong support from property developers and signalled Labour's intent to tackle the country’s chronic housing shortage.

Angela Rayner tries to resign over UK 1.5m housing target

However, just a year later, the tone has changed. At the same annual conference in 2025, Rayner admitted that the housing target was ‘stretching.’ The remark comes amid growing criticism and a worsening construction slowdown across the UK. According to Lord Ashcroft's updated biography of the Prime Minister, Rayner found the expectations placed upon her overwhelming. She reportedly attempted to resign multiple times over the pressure of delivering the ambitious housing figure.

Tony Blair rescues labours 1.5m UK housing target after Rayner tries to resign

At one point, it is claimed that only a phone call from former Prime Minister Tony Blair and the offer of a flat in Admiralty House kept her in government.

From the start, experts and organisations within the property industry expressed doubts about the 1.5 million homes pledge. These concerns have only grown as building activity continues to decline.

If 1.5m houses are not built, how many homes are likely to be built by this Labour government?

Figures suggest the UK is likely to fall short of its annual target by about 25 per cent, with residential construction contracting faster than ever since the pandemic. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has also cast doubt on the feasibility of meeting the government’s goal. Their forecast indicates that Rayner’s reforms would only lead to around 170,000 additional homes in England, far fewer than required.

The National Housing Federation, Savills, and the Home Builders Federation have echoed similar warnings. They believe that without substantial government support for affordable housing and first-time buyers, nearly half a million homes could be missing by 2029. Lets not forget that social housing is in crisis as most Council's have not been building for years and years, and without recapitalising the Housing Associations or Registered Providers, they have no cash as they have clad buildings to remediate and homes to bring up to EPC grade C as well as damp and aftermath of the death of Awaab Ishak who was just two years old in Rochdale.

What are the major obstacles to building 1.5m houses?

One of the major obstacles to building 1.5m homes is the shortage of skilled labour. Prominent developers have warned that there are simply not enough workers available to deliver construction at the necessary scale. BREXIT has not helped. At the same time, planning departments across the country are struggling with limited resources and backlogs in approvals. These delays have made it harder for developers to move forward with new projects. Compounding the problem is a significant drop in off-plan home sales. In 2024, only 31% of new homes were sold before completion, this is the lowest level since 2012. Developers rely on these sales to secure financing for construction. With reduced buyer interest and tightening lending conditions, many projects are being postponed or cancelled. Demand side incentives such as help to buy and stamp duty holidays have expired too.

Cash strapped Registered Providers or Housing Associations have no cash, all their cash is tied up in dealing with cladding and other building safety defects, upgrading properties to meet EPC grade C, or dealing with damp following the death of two-year old Awaah Ishak in Rochdale.

Interest rates are not helping, the number of development schemes in liquidation has risen due to contingency planning being inadequate to weather the rise in interest rates twinned with the increase in regulation, such as second staircases, the new Building Safety Regulator government gateways etc.. The safety checks introduced after previous housing scandals have created bottlenecks in the system as the government seems unable to properly resource the Building Safety Regulator. While these regulations aim to protect homeowners, they have also slowed the pace of development. This leaves developed homes standing empty locked in an administrative queue.

Spring 2025 government statement on housing target progress

June 2026 sees the government issuing encouraging statements to the industry to get on with it. And, in Parliament, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has maintained confidence in achieving the housing goal. He acknowledged, however, that reaching the target would require very high building activity in the final years of the parliamentary term. Yet, industry experts remain sceptical, particularly in light of current economic conditions and slow recovery in the property sector.

In her recent Spring Statement, Rachel Reeves expressed optimism and said the government was close to meeting its target. However, analysts argue that current figures and market conditions do not support this view. High interest rates, weak investor confidence, and declining demand have all taken a toll on the government’s housing ambitions.

At the Leeds Dock conference, which attracted nearly 16,000 attendees this year, discussions centred on how to reverse the slowdown.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham highlighted the need for more funding and devolution of powers to deliver local housing targets. His region alone aims to build 75,000 homes during this parliamentary term.

The government's own surveys reveal 92% of councillors believe the housing crisis has worsened in 2025

A recent survey of over 200 local authorities revealed that 92 per cent of councillors believe the housing crisis has worsened in 2025. More than three-quarters said the government’s target is unachievable without major changes. Over half reported an increasing need for temporary and emergency housing in their areas.

Despite the early enthusiasm, it is now clear that the road to delivering 1.5 million homes will be far more complex than initially imagined. The coming months will likely test the government’s ability to adapt, invest, and deliver results in an increasingly challenging housing environment.

FAQs

Is the UK government still aiming to build 1.5 million homes by 2029?

The government has not formally abandoned the target, but key ministers have acknowledged that meeting it is becoming increasingly difficult.

Why is the housing target at risk?

A combination of labour shortages, planning delays, falling off-plan sales, and weak demand has slowed building activity across the country.

What support is being considered to boost housing delivery?

Calls have been made for increased funding, planning reforms, and more local control, but no new measures have yet been announced.



POPULAR POSTS

Solar panels on flats - what you need to know

Is noise getting you down?

Ground Rent: Fines for Landlords Who Charge Ground Rent

High Court: Right to Rent does breach human rights

Landlords beware - Don't believe everything you read!

RECENT POSTS

Angela Rayner Faces Pressure Over Housing Pledge of 1.5 Million Homes as Target Appears Unachievable

Leasehold Reform Moves Forward with New Cross-Party Parliamentary Group

Leasehold Reform Moves Forward with New Cross-Party Parliamentary Groups

Grenfell Tower Deconstruction to Begin Under £12.25m Government Contract

Government Moves to Abolish Leasehold System and Establish Commonhold as Default



Blogs related:

ASSET MANAGEMENT
Landlords who charge Ground Rent to be fined
On 30th June 2022, a new act came into force - the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022. This act prohibits freeholdersowning long residential leases from collecting ground rent on new leases. The law applies to all relevant properties in both England and Wales. Ground rent is a recurring payment that the leaseholder must pay to the freeholder as per the terms of their lease.Ground rent is payable when one buys a leasehold property because ...

Read


ASSET MANAGEMENT
Industry Updates: Enhancing The Conveyancing Process
The UK property industry is currently grappling with two major concerns:The home buying and selling process encounters several roadblocks that slow down its speed and efficiency.The ongoing energy crisis.This article focuses specifically on the issues with the house buying process, which, despite relying on valuable resources such as searches, still faces timing and content-related challenges.

Read


ASSET MANAGEMENT
Why we need to retain Section 21
At Ringley, we strongly believe that scrapping Section 21 will harm both landlords and tenants. Here’s why:1) A System That WorksSection 21 has been in place since the Housing Act 1988 and is well understood by both landlords and tenants. It provides a straightforward process for landlords to regain possession of their properties when necessary.2) A Cost-Effective and Efficient ProcessMany landlords find Section 21 to be the most efficient way...

Read


Meet our Expert Property Commentators

Mary-Anne Bowring FTPI FRICS FARLA FCABE Founder/Head of Asset Management

Strategic partnerships, holistic delivery/ opportunities, growth, value engineering, thought leadership

Ian Barber MD BTR Mobilisation & Leasing

Runs HQ & site lease-up teams. Drives rent pricing, mobilisation, marketing, happy residents!

Jon Curtis MRICS Head of Building Engineering

Chartered Building Surveyor. Lectures on EWS1 & building safety. Runs CapEx programmes.

Kate Robinson MTPI MD Blocks/FM Management (London Region)

Master plan setup, ops and staffing and resident engagement. ISO45001 champion.

Lee Harle Partner Ringley Law

Plot conveyancing. Debt litigation. Group Company Secretary.

Anthony Kingdon MIRPM AssocRICS MD Blocks/FM Management (North Region)

Stakeholder engagement. Mixed tenure specialist. Budget management. Plant audit, PPM compliance.

Chris Georgalis MRICS Head of Commercial Valuation

Chartered Valuer. Rental valuations: retail, leisure. IRR modelling and valuations for secured lending. Compulsory purchase & rent reviews

Nichola Pughe MRICS Head of Residential Valuation

Chartered Valuer. Rental development & mixed use valuations, IRR modelling. Leasehold enfranchisement specialist

Natalie Birmingham Helpdesk Support Manager

Trainer & Helpdesk Manager: people, systems,contractors. ISO45001 supply chain accreditation.

Steve Norman Planning Director

Land due diligence (opportunities & constraints) Has contributed to a number of award winning schemes.


inshights shared - link to planetrent blogs

Landlord blog
Read landlord blog
inshights shared - link to ringley blogs

Property blogs
Read property blogs
inshights shared - link to ringley articles

Property articles
Read property articles
inshights shared - link to ringley ebooks

E-books
Read E-books

link to ringley social media facebook link to ringley social media instagram link to ringley social media linkedin link to ringley social media x-twitter
link to ringley social media x-twitter for small device
link to ringley social media linkedin for small device
link to ringley social media instagram for small device
link to ringley social media facebook for small device
  • Ringley Group
  • About us
  • CSR / ESG
  • BusyLiving
  • PlanetRent
  • Talk to us
  • Careers
  • Ask a Question
  • Insights
  • Articles
  • Blogs
  • Subscribe
  • BTR & PRS Buildings
  • What we do
  • Asset Management
  • Block Management
  • Facilities Management
  • Property Law
  • Surveying / Valuation
  • Building Engineering
  • Financial Services
  • Managing Agents
  • Block Management Locations
  • Co-working
  • Renting & Letting
  • Right to Manage
  • Contractor Management
  • Space to Work
  • Fees and Client Money Protections
  • Email: solutions@ringley.co.uk

  • Emergency line 1: 0207 428 2056

  • Emergency line 2: 0207 267 2900

  • Report an incident
  • Our Offices
  • London
  • Ringley House
  • 1 Castle Road
  • London
  • NW1 8PR
  • T: 0207 267 2900
  • London
  • Ringley House
  • 47 Rochester Place
  • London
  • NW1 9JL
  • Manchester
  • 11 Swan Street
  • Northern Quarter
  • Manchester
  • M4 5JJ
  • T: 0330 174 7777
  • Cardiff
  • 122 West Bute Street
  • Cardiff Bay
  • Cardiff
  • CF10 5LJ
  • T: 0330 174 7747
Privacy Policy
Ringley Staff Dashboard
link to ifsm website link to tpos website link to rics website link to ukgbc website link to government security industry authority website link to alep website

All content © copyright 2025. Ringley Limited. All Rights reserved. Ringley Limited, incorporated and registered in England and wales. Registered office: Ringley House, 1 Castle Road, London, NW1 8PR. Company No. 03302438
Terms of use | Privacy Policy | Modern slavery act | COVID-19 risk assessment