Training will be vital to tackle skills shortages but more is needed if we are to solve the housing crisis
This morning the two main political parties both made election commitments to deliver much-needed housing. Labour?s manifesto promises £75bn to deliver the biggest social housebuilding programme since the 1960s. The party has set itself the task of providing 100,000 council houses a year by 2024 - a tall order in anybody?s book.
The Conservatives are also promising major change - announcing a number of policies alongside their million homes pledge, which includes an overhaul of the planning system.
In contrast to Labour, the Tories would not use public money to build more homes, but instead, plan to promote policies encouraging the private sector to deliver the housing stock we need. Today?s announcements included the promise of a new mortgage with long-term fixed rates and a 5% deposit to help renters get on the property ladder. They also pledged to start a new scheme giving first-time buyers a 30% discount on new homes in their area.
Yesterday, the Liberal Democrats promised to build 300,000 homes a year by 2024, including 100,000 social homes. And the Green Party manifesto also promises an extra 100,000 council houses a year.
These pledges are welcome. We are well-aware that the country faces an ongoing housing crisis with too few affordable houses and property prices putting a first home out of reach for many young people. However, the question has to be asked, how is all this to be achieved?
Labour?s Angela Rayner may have got hackles rising in the building trades this morning as she asserted that it doesn?t take long to train to be a plasterer. A six -month training course is all that's needed, she said. This is debatable but what is certain is that the construction industry is facing serious skills shortages that are likely to get worse post-Brexit. Labour's pledge to train more workers is one solution but it is likely to take a lot longer than six months to get boots on the ground.
Whichever party ends up forming the next government, if serious numbers of homes are to be built they will need to get to grips with not only skills shortages but with a range of other long-neglected issues. Re-skilling and streamlining planning and building control will be vital, as is a shift towards modular construction to take the heat out of those shortages and ensure quality and compliance. And new financial models and incentives are desperately needed to get developers building affordable homes.
Without attention to detail, nothing will change.