In last month’s Queen’s Speech, the industry responded to a number of important announcements concerning the efforts to keep Britain building.
In a new Housing Bill, there will be help for first-time buyers, with 200,000 starter homes made available to under-40s at a 20% discount. Alongside this, the Bill intends to introduce a statutory register for brownfield land, to help achieve the target of getting Local Development Order in place on 90% of suitable brownfield sites by 2020.
Responding to the announcement, Melanie Leech, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation, comments: “It is welcome to see the announcement of a Housing Bill. The government has a huge task on its hands if it is to deliver enough new homes to house future generations, and must focus on supply-side solutions to meet demand. The devil will be in the detail, and there is an opportunity for innovative suggestions to drive forward supply.”
Elsewhere, a Full Employment and Welfare Benefits Bill is being introduced to achieve full employment “and provide more people with the security of a job”. The aim is for two million more jobs and three million new apprenticeships to be created. According to the Federation of Master Builders, the Government must succeed in its aim to create millions of apprenticeships over the lifetime of this Parliament if it is to solve the housing crisis.
Sarah McMonagle, Head of External Affairs at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), adds: “The new Government is right to bring forward legislation on both apprenticeships and housing in its first Queen’s Speech as one cannot succeed without the other.”
To read the Federation of Master Builders’ full response to the majority Government and what it has in store for the construction industry, turn to FC&A’s Legal & Business focus on page 26.
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