Government Unwraps Strategic Plan for Tackling Housing Crisis

The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government outlined a detailed plan to resolve the housing crisis in England. The government’s ambitious strategy is sharply focused on collaboration between local authorities and the central government. The Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged the severity of the housing crisis, highlighting the rising number of homeless children in temporary accommodation, growing waiting lists for social housing, and the challenges young residents face in securing home ownership. To address these issues, the government calls on local authorities to make tough decisions and work together to build more affordable social housing.

Local Councils required to plan for new housing

A key element of the plan is ensuring universal coverage of local plans. The government believes strongly in the plan-making system, which brings together local leaders and communities to agree on the future development of their areas. They are committed to achieving universal plan coverage in this Parliament and are pushing for all plans to be adopted quickly.

Local authorities will be expected to rework their plans if they are significantly behind the new local housing needs figures. Financial support will be provided to those authorities required to make these adjustments. The government recognises the need for strategic planning on a larger scale in addition to local planning. Effective mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning will be introduced to address issues such as housing needs, infrastructure, economic growth, and climate resilience. The government plans to formalise these arrangements through legislation.

Local Councils required to allocate land to speed up housebuilding

The government has also confirmed its intention to restore the standard method for assessing housing needs and planning for homes to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. Local authorities will be expected to allocate land per their housing needs, with provisions for justifying lower targets based on local constraints. The government is also promoting the delivery of mixed-use sites, which include a variety of ownership and rental tenures, to create diverse communities and support timely build-out rates.

Labour propose release of Green Belt land to get more new homes built

The plan also addresses the use of land for development. While brownfield land remains a priority, the government acknowledges that it cannot be the sole solution. Therefore, changes are proposed to allow for the release of Green Belt land to meet housing or commercial needs. The focus will be on sustainable development, particularly low-quality ‘grey belt’ sites, which contribute little to Green Belt purposes.

Planning permission fees to increase under labour government

Labour proposes that planning fees are increased to support these initiatives, the government is consulting on increasing planning fees and allowing local authorities to set their fees more accurately to reflect local costs. The government is also considering provisions to allow authorities to recover costs for relevant services related to development consent applications. They are looking at diversifying the supply of social and affordable housing and have confirmed additional funding to support the construction of affordable homes.

So, will Labour give money to Councils to build new homes?

The answer is yes. The Local Authority Housing Fund will provide £450 million to councils to create homes for families at risk of homelessness. Furthermore, the government is reviewing the Right to buy scheme, including increasing flexibility for councils to use their Right to buy receipts.

What housing legislation is the labour government proposing? The answer is the Housing and Infrastructure Bill

The government is also taking steps to improve the quality of existing housing stock, introducing measures to ensure decent, safe, and warm homes for all. The next phase of reform will include a Planning and Infrastructure Bill to modernise planning committees and streamline the delivery of critical infrastructure. The government will publish a long-term housing strategy alongside the upcoming Spending Review.

The government is confident that, through collaboration with local authorities and other stakeholders, significant progress can be made in addressing the housing crisis and providing better living conditions for all citizens.