HBF launches a manifesto for the next Parliament The House Builders Federation (HBF) today publishes a manifesto for the future of housing policy in the next Parliament. The manifesto, entitled ‘Meeting Housing Needs and Aspirations’ is being launched at a conference being addressed by Kate Barker, one year after her influential Review of Housing Supply was published by the Government. <br>
Commenting on the manifesto, Rob Ashmead, Chief Executive of the House Builders Federation said: Housing deserves its own manifesto. Getting housing provision right is a matter of national importance so today we are setting out the steps we believe are essential for the next Government to take.
The HBF manifesto focuses on how housing policy should be shaped over the next Parliament if Kate Barkers recommendations are to be successfully implemented to reverse the serious social and economic consequences of the long-term undersupply of housing.
The manifesto calls on the next Government to prioritise measures that encourage the long-term increase of supply, such as further speeding up planning processes, rather than focus on short term measures that subsidise demand.
The HBF urges the new Government to comprehensively review Planning Policy Guidance on Housing (PPG3), as recommended by Kate Barker, so that targets to increase the supply of new homes can be met, while allowing the market to respond to the need for all types of housing.
Todays conference looks at planning and the market a year on from Barkers report, and features contributions from Kate Barker herself, major house builders and legal experts.
Commenting further, Rob Ashmead, added:
Our manifesto lays out what has already been done to tackle the problem of undersupply, and what we believe is still left to do to address the affordability crisis in England and Wales. The next Government must concentrate on increasing the supply of all types of homes, not just measures that subsidise demand, if we are to meet peoples needs and take into account the publics views on planning and development.
We believe current planning policy is misaligned with what home buyers actually want. This manifesto calls for a review of planning guidelines to allow house builders to build the full range of homes that people want to live in, at a price they can afford so achieving genuinely sustainable communities.
ENDS
For more information, to arrange interviews, or to receive a copy of the HBF manifesto, please contact Katie Thompson at Portland on 020 7421 6120 / katie.thompson@portlandpr.co.uk
Notes to Editors
The House Builders Federation (HBF) is the principal trade federation for private sector house builders and voice of the house building industry in England and Wales. The HBFs 300 member firms account for over 80% of all new houses built in England and Wales in any one year, and include companies of all sizes, ranging from multi-national, household names through regionally based businesses to small local companies. www.hbf.co.uk
The HBF Manifesto Meeting housing needs and aspirations is available online at www.hbf.co.uk; or by contacting Katie Thompson at Portland 020 7421 6120 / katie.thompson@portlandpr.co.uk
