Weekly News Summary – 19 May 2023

Speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce this afternoon, Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer has unveiled further detail of Labour’s proposed planning reforms, vowing to make Labour the “party of housebuilding”, adding that Labour would be on the side of the “builders not blockers”.

In his speech, Starmer stated that of the 38 countries in the OECD, the UK is the second worst when it comes to the effectiveness of our planning system.

He pledged to “take on planning reform” including a commitment to bring back local housing targets.

Starmer added “You can’t be serious about raising productivity, about improving the supply-side capacity of our economy and about arresting our economic decline without a plan for the wind farms, the laboratories, the warehouses and the homes this country so desperately needs.”

Interview with The Times

The speech follows an interview in The Times, in which he revealed further detail of the changes he wanted to see, particularly in relation to the green belt.

In the interview, Sir Keir accused the Conservatives of killing “the aspiration of homeowning for a whole generation” and echoed HBF’s warning that housebuilding was on course to fall to the lowest level since the Second World War, as our report – Planning for Economic Failure – found.

Green belt

On the issue of building on the green belt, Starmer said “We need to have that discussion.. But it cannot be reduced to a simple discussion of will you or will you not build on the green belt. This is why it’s important for local areas to have the power to decide where housing is going to be.”

He added that often the objections to housebuilding on the green belt come from concern about the areas in which they are proposed, and to address this Labour would give local authorities, local areas more power to decide where the development will be. He added “So it’s not as binary or straightforward as ‘green belt, not green belt’. It’s how you direct where the housing will be.”

Housing targets

As Prime Minister, Starmer said he would go far further than simply restoring mandatory housebuilding targets.

“If we just put the target back up, we risk going back to where they were just before Christmas, which is a very low rate of building,” he said. “So we need to go further than that and fix what is essentially a broken system.”

Housing Secretary’s article in The Sun

An interview with the Housing Secretary, Michael Gove was also published today by The Sun, in which he stated he's categorically pro-house building - but only where developments are high quality and beautiful.

Gove pledged to youngsters that “I will never screw you over to appease NIMBY MPs”, but stood by his decision to remove mandatory housing targets, insisting a record number of homes have been built under the Tories.

He said his planning reforms will mean "more homes built, not fewer".

But despite these claim, Gove refused to criticise Theresa Villiers, the MP who led the group of 60 NIMBY MPs campaigning for the scrapping of housing targets, or other Tory MPs who use social media to boast about blocking housing developments in their constituencies.

The Housing Secretary also told The Sun soaring migration is locking millions of Brits out of the housing market. But he added that as net migration figures are set to soar to up to one million, the construction industry needs skilled labour from abroad.

HBF comment

In response, HBF issued the following statement to media:

We would welcome a policy approach that allows the industry to build the homes the country needs.

A planning system fit for a modern, advanced economy should serve the needs of the population, tackle inequalities and allow sustainable growth. That means ensuring local authorities abide by their responsibilities such that the homes their communities need are delivered.

Over recent years the policy agenda has become increasingly anti-development and it is threatening housing supply. Fewer homes being built will result in home ownership slipping further out of reach for younger households, cost thousands of jobs and hit GDP.

Tackling the housing crisis involves taking tough decisions but would deliver huge benefits. Increasing the supply of energy efficient new homes would bring huge social and economic opportunities to communities up and down the country.

Read the full briefing here.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has conceded there “simply aren’t enough homes” in Britain as he said the Prime Minister had commissioned him to work on policies to help first-time buyers.

Gove also appeared to confirm suggestions that his pledge to abolish leaseholds entirely will be watered down.

Speaking to the National Conservatism conference, Gove said Rishi Sunak had tasked him with addressing the issues faced by first-time buyers, with housing expected to be a major issue at next year’s general election.

Read the full article here.

Rishi Sunak has pledged to “protect” the UK’s green spaces - just days after Sir Keir Starmer said he would build on the green belt if he wins power.

Speaking on his trip to Japan, the Prime Minister said the Government had already moved away from imposing top-down housing targets on local areas.

He also promised to empower communities to make their own decisions on developments, saying that both measures would help prevent building on the countryside.

His comments contrasted sharply with those of the Labour leader, who was accused of “declaring war” on the countryside after unveiling his new housing plans this week.

Read the full story here.

Housing Secretary, Michael Gove, has not ruled out building on the green belt as housing continues to cause friction within the Conservative Party.

Gove said “the absolute fact” is that the greenbelt “is there to prevent urban sprawl” and for “recreation” and criticised Keir Starmer for being incoherent when it comes to housing policy.

However, he did not say that the Government would never consider building new homes on the green belt.

Read more here.

The i reports the Liberal Democrats are undecided on whether houses should be built on greenbelt land.

Following Labour and the Conservatives opposing stances on the issue, the Liberal Democrats are still in the process of writing up their housing strategy, with a full paper on housing and planning expected to be published later this year.

Many of the key seats the Liberal Democrats are targeting are in the leafy, green commuter belts surrounding large cities – otherwise known as green belt land.

Ed Davey had already has already made it clear his party will work with Labour to get the Tories out of Government. With Labour’s promise to lift green belt restrictions, the ground gained by Lib Dems in the so-called “blue wall” could be lost.

Read the full article here.

More than one in three Conservative voters believe the government is doing a bad job at improving housing in Britain – more than those who believe it is being effective, exclusive polling for the Guardian has revealed.

As Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, published a long-delayed bill reforming aspects of private renting on Wednesday, Ipsos found 34% of people who voted Tory in 2019 now think the government is failing on the issue and only 29% believe it is doing a good job.

It also found voters believe building social housing is more important than increasing the supply of homes to buy, despite a focus by the government and the Labour opposition on reigniting the dream of home ownership.

Read the full article here.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, working with the Department for Health and Social Care, has brought together a team of experts to lead this crucial work, that will report back to government on how it can improve housing for older people.

The Taskforce will focus on ensuring the government is offering a range of housing options for older people. This will ensure the housing market works for older people, now and in the future, and gives them greater choice in where they choose to live.

It will be made up of three subgroups focusing on older people’s priorities, the housing and financial options available, and closely working with local planning authorities to deliver a wide range of opportunities for older generations.

The Taskforce includes Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation, Stewart Baseley.

Speaking at the event, Housing Minister, Rachel Maclean said:

Older people must have access to the right homes in the right places that suit their needs.

I have seen first-hand today how good quality homes have greatly improved the lives of older people. The Taskforce’s important work in the coming months will help support our commitment in delivering quality housing across the country.

Read the full press release here.

John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation, and Peter Caplehorn, CEO of the Construction Products Association have published a statement on the Product Availability Working group:

For the first time since this group began meeting at the height of the pandemic, there is good availability of the vast majority of building materials across the UK, with increasing reports that availability is back to pre-Covid levels.

Some issues continue around products reliant on semi-conductors, but the general feeling is that this is slowly improving.

While there has been a slight decline in construction activity, the industry overall is performing better than forecasted six months ago. With demand lower than at this time last year, there is also less pressure on prices. As a result, early indications suggest prices for many products appear to be stabilising and in isolated cases even declining from recent highs, though volatility persists.

Read the full statement here.

The era of “massive” house price rises in the UK may be about to end, according to a senior economist at the government’s spending watchdog.

David Miles, a member of a key committee at the Office for Budget Responsibility, said one of the main factors that would make runaway house price growth less likely was the increase in working from home.

The rise in the number of people working from home since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic has given many people more options about where they can live.

Read more here.

The latest statistics on the Building Safety Fund registrations finds:

• The Building Safety Fund has received 2830 Private Sector Registrations of which 968 registrations (1049 buildings) are proceeding with an application for funding.
• 222 Social Sector Grant Claims have been received of which 147 registrations (165 buildings) are proceeding with an application for funding.
• £1,866 million has been approved for the remediation of unsafe non-ACM cladding from the Building Safety Fund, of which £1,675 million is for private sector remediation and £191 million for social sector remediation.
• 400 buildings have started remediation work, of which 139 have completed works (including 37 that have also received building control sign off).

Read more about the registrations here.

The data latest on the Building Safety Programme finds:

• At the end of April 2023, 95% (467) of all identified high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England had either completed or started remediation work to remove and replace unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding (99% of buildings identified at 31 December 2019, 98% of buildings identified at 31 December 2020 and 96% of buildings identified at 31 December 2021) – an increase of one since the end of March.
• 448 buildings (91% of all identified buildings) no longer have unsafe ACM cladding systems – an increase of three since the end of March. 410 (84% of all buildings) have completed ACM remediation works – an increase of two since the end of March. This includes 359 (73% of all buildings) which have received building control sign off – an increase of two since the end of March.
• Of those with ACM cladding remaining, 19 have started remediation. Of the 23 (5%) buildings yet to start, two are vacant, so do not represent a risk to resident safety, five buildings were identified after 31 December 2021 and 10 additional buildings were identified during 2021.
• 100% (160) of social sector buildings have either completed or started remediation. Of these, 159 (99%) have had their ACM cladding removed.
• 92% (215) of private sector buildings have either completed or started remediation. Of these, 201 (86%) have had their ACM cladding removed.
• £29.7 million of funding has been approved from the Waking Watch Relief and Replacement Funds, covering 367 buildings and 26,900 leasehold dwellings.

Read the full data release here.

Research by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has revealed that planners are leaving the public sector as the profession comes under fire for its role in the housing crisis.

The new analysis by RTPI found that a quarter of planners left the public sector between 2013 and 2020.

At the same time, the private sector experienced an 80% increase in the number of employed planners.

Consequently, the boss of the RTPI has warned about the “detrimental” impact of political narratives on the profession regarding its role in the housing crisis, which is contributing to the “widespread abuse and mistreatment of planners at the local level”.

Read the full article here.

Appeal reference: APP/T5720/W/22/3291219

LPA: London Borough of Merton

Appellant: Charterfield Homes Ltd

Appeal decision: Dismissed

Issues summary: Redevelopment of existing large building in a sloping, suburban residential area, within a CPZ. An Affordable Viability Assessment indicated a deficit such that no provision was required subject to a Review Mechanism Agreement. The proposal's increased height, depth and bulk would be unacceptably overbearing and oppressive to neighbouring houses to the rear, exacerbated by slope of site. 5 of the proposed 9 parking spaces to be for 'general use' but considered unnecessary, with the overprovision contrary to sustainability policy. A monitoring fee would be proportionate. Overall, the harms outweighed the benefits.

A full list of the housing appeal decisions for W/C 1 May is available to read here, courtesy of Eversheds.

The next Future Talent Network webinar takes place on Tuesday 23rd May and will be providing FTN members with a snapshot of the topics discussed at this month’s HBF Policy Conference. Join Emma Ramell, Head of Policy & External Affairs at the Home Builders Federation, Emily Williams, Director of Residential Research at Savills and Professor Christine Whitehead from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) as they discuss the housing market, challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for the industry. The webinar is free to attend for HBF members, click here to book your ticket.

If you would like to find out more or sign up to join the Future Talent Network, visit www.hbf.co.uk/futuretalent.

HBF has joined forces with the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity to offer free mental health awareness training for SMEs and those working in the supply chain. The course is aimed at opening conversations around mental health and providing participants with the knowledge of basic mental health, signs and symptoms. These events are free for HBF members and the supply chain with the next session due to take place on 14th June 2023, to book your place click here and enter the passcode HBFONLY when prompted, then in the payment section enter HBF to access the course for free.

Employers are being warned that there is a fake jobs website posting home builder vacancies. The website, jobstritch.online will ask individuals to apply and provide personal details to jobs that are with credible employers. The website has been reported but please do make your IT and security departments aware.

The Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE) has released its public surveys on its eight apprenticeship routes. Construction is one of these routes and the IfATE is asking organisations to provide their feedback on the development of these apprenticeship routes and apprenticeship materials from proposal to end-point assessment stage. The results will ensure apprenticeships meet training needs, are a high-quality and widely supported. The surveys should take no more than 10-20 minutes to complete and the deadline for feedback is 29th May 2023.

You can access the surveys here. Should you wish further information on the surveys, please contact IFASubmission.CONSULTATION@education.gov.uk.

Six Green apprenticeships have been announced to mark the Coronation in recognition of their sustainability credentials, including Low Carbon Heating Technician (level 3) and Installation Electrician and Maintenance Electrician (level 3). The Heating Technician standard is expected to be ready for delivery from September 2023 and includes work on both new build and existing properties and typically involves the installation, service, fault finding and repair of zero carbon heating and hot water appliances.

The Department for Education has announced the 17th annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place between 5-11th February 2024. The week will showcase the impact and benefit of apprenticeships and encourage others to champion how apprenticeships make businesses more productive, communities more vibrant and career opportunities to be valued. For more information on National Apprenticeship Week and how to get involved, click here.

The Strategic Development Network (SDN) is hosting an event at Anglia Ruskin University to discuss T Level placements and developing organisations talent pipelines. The event will be ran in partnership with the Department for Education and will support organisations in finding out more and starting to plan for placements. There is no charge for attending and it will also be an excellent opportunity to network with employers with first-hand experience. To book your place, click here.

The Building Services Engineering Association (BESA) has launched a new round of heat pump Installation training to help the home building sector upskill its workforce in line with soaring demand as the market grows. The MCS Certified Air Source Heat Pump Installer course blends practical training and online learning whilst offering the installer the opportunity to gain MCS accreditation. HBF are delighted to have secured 50 free training places for qualified plumbing, heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning engineers looking to upskill. To register your initial interest in the training or for further information, please contact Catherine Bullough catherine.bullough@hbf.co.uk.

CITB are currently reviewing their occupational competence frameworks. These frameworks help CITB to understand the Home Building Sector’s current training, qualification and competency landscape and identify potential training gaps and how they can be addressed. The first occupation CITB are reviewing are Brickwork/Trowel occupations. CITB would welcome input from the home builders at this early stage. Please contact Catherine Bullough catherine.bullough@hbf.co.uk if you would like to take part in the review.

CITB are funding free ILM leadership and management courses to front-line managers, site supervisors and site managers in England, Scotland and Wales. The free ILM qualification places are being provided by a number of different training partners: for further information please visit CITB ILM Courses

The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC), Fylde Coast Responsible Business Network and Lancashire Careers Hub is working in partnership to develop an exciting new framework to help define 'what good looks like' when it comes to employers engaging in careers education for young people. The new framework will allow employers to understand what engagement works well and compared to different employers as well as allowing to evaluate your existing careers education offer.

The CEC is asking employers for their feedback in a short pilot survey to understand employers needs and how future communications on careers education should be shaped. The survey should take no more than five minutes to complete will be invaluable in helping how businesses are supported to deliver careers education. To access the survey, please click here.

The Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS) is hosting a virtual conference to mark the launch of its new #MakeItVisible portal. The portal will provide free and accessible wellbeing support and guidance to all in the construction and built environment industry. Speakers will include CITB, the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity and Lendlease who will discuss how we can work together to scale improvements in welfare and wellbeing. The event is taking place as part of Learning at Work Week on Wednesday 24th May at 12pm to book your place, click here.

Inclusive Employers will be hosting National Inclusion Week on the 25th September to 1st October and this year’s theme will be ‘Take Action Make Impact’. The theme is a call to action for all organisations and individuals to think about what actions they can take and what impacts these actions could and should have for marginalised people in the workplace. This will be the 11th year National Inclusion Week has taken place and is an opportunity to celebrate inclusion and diversity. To find out more and to take part in these years celebratory week, click here.

London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square – 24th May

The HBF AGM & Annual Industry Lunch is a highlight in the housebuilding calendar, providing a unique opportunity for the industry's leaders to meet informally and discuss the issues currently affecting their businesses. The AGM and Member's Meeting takes place in the morning and is followed by a drinks reception and three course lunch with our guest speaker, former Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls

Book your place now at www.house-builder.co.uk

Sponsored by H+H

The Housebuilder Awards are now open for entry. Entry is free and the deadline for entries to be received is the 19th May. The finalists will be announced in July, alongside the opportunity to book tickets to the main ceremony. This year's main event takes place on the night of the 2nd November 2023 at the InterContinental London - The O2.

For full details on how to entry by the 19th May please follow this link.

Sponsored by AEG, British Gypsum, Egger, GL, GTC, HBF, H+H, Haier, Keystone Lintels, Knauf Insulation, Marley, Mira Showers, NHBC, Tamdown, TriConnex

Woburn Golf Club, Woburn – 12th July – Sold out!

This year's HBF Golf Day takes place at the glorious Woburn Golf Club on the 12th July. Teams of 4 have the opportunity to play on one of the award winning 18 hole Woburn courses and network with their industry friends and colleagues over drinks and good food.

Please contact events@house-builder.co.uk to enquire about the waiting list.

Sponsored by Brickability

HBF Wales Conference & Dinner, 7th September 2023

Leonardo Hotel Cardiff, (formerly Jury’s Inn)

This year’s HBF Wales Conference & Dinner takes place at the Leonardo Hotel in Cardiff. The conference will start at approx. 16.30 and takes place for a couple of hours prior to the three course meal. Further details will be available later this year at www.house-builder.co.uk

HBF Technical Conference, 19th September 2023

Austin Court, Birmingham

This year’s HBF Technical Conference takes place on the 19th September in Birmingham. Further details coming later this year at www.house-builder.co.uk

Sponsored by GL and STA

HBF Planning Conference, 20th September 2023

Austin Court, Birmingham

This year’s HBF Planning Conference takes place on the 20th September in Birmingham. Further details coming later this year at

www.house-builder.co.uk#

Housing Market Intelligence Conference and Report, 5th October 2023

Savoy Place, London

This year’s HMI takes place on the 5th October at Savoy Place in London. Further details coming later this year at www.house-builder.co.uk

Sponsored by AF Oliver, Charles Russell Speechlys, Greenbelt, HBF, H+H, NHBC, TriConnex, Whirlpool

HBF Ball, 1st December 2023

InterContinental Park Lane, London

This year’s HBF Ball will take place on the 1st December at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel. Further details coming later this year at www.house-builder.co.uk

Sponsored by Brickability and H+H