Healey’s housing ambitions need confidence and clarity, says C&L md

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, needs to provide confidence, and not simply, hope with his ambitions for the housing. That’s according to Civils & Lintels’  managing director Allan Wright, who hopes Healey’s first Budget next week will give the industry definitive timelines and tangible action to boost confidence.

He says: “The government has made some significant commitments to tackle the housing crisis and support the construction sector since their election, most recently with trailing ‘Your First Home’. These are undoubtedly welcome, but announcements and funding commitments alone aren’t enough.

 “From our conversations with stakeholders across the industry, we know these proposals build hope, but they don’t create confidence and that’s quite a distinct difference – confidence will only come when we start to see clear evidence of policies translating into actions on-site.

 “We urgently need definitive timelines for delivery, clarity on how these programmes will be implemented and, critically, a pipeline of projects that the industry can plan around. Rhetoric is fabulous, but it’s substance that we need.”

Wright’s comments follow the recent publication of a House of Lords Built Environment Committee report, New Towns: Commit and Build, which raised concerns about the barriers to delivering the government’s new towns ambitions, whilst calling for greater certainty to encourage investment across the construction supply chain.

He adds: “Take the proposals for new towns – these are major developments that will require substantial investment in roads, drainage, utilities and other essential infrastructure before homes can be built. The industry needs to understand not only where these developments might be located, but when work is expected to begin and how delivery will be supported. Speculation that these may now shift from central oversight, in favour of regional Mayoral decisions, further exacerbates that uncertainty.

“Similarly, the long-term investment committed through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme is encouraging, but if businesses are to make informed investment decisions, that needs to translate into a consistent and predictable programme of construction activity.”

Wright acknowledges the first steps taken with the announcement of the Your First Home scheme, but believes that the Chancellor should consider broader measures to stimulate movement across the housing market, alongside a more locally responsive approach to affordability.

 “Helping first-time buyers onto the housing ladder is clearly important, but we shouldn’t overlook the wider housing market. Measures such as removing completely or reducing Stamp Duty on properties below a certain threshold could help stimulate activity more broadly, encouraging people to move and freeing up properties for other buyers,” he says.

 “We also need to recognise that housing affordability isn’t a one-size-fits-all issue. Property values and local market conditions vary enormously across the country, so any support scheme needs sufficient flexibility to reflect those differences rather than taking an overly uniform approach.

“The construction industry and its supply chain have a vital role to play in delivering the government’s housing ambitions, and businesses want to be part of that progress. But if we’re to invest, plan and ensure the necessary capacity is in place, we need confidence in what’s coming.