The new Labour government is planning to use what it believes is its mandate for change following the general election, to put economic growth at the heart of its legislative agenda at the state opening of parliament on Wednesday.
A package of more than 35 bills will set out plans for “turbocharging the building of houses and infrastructure, better transport, more jobs and securing clean energy”.
New housing secretary Angela Rayner previously pledged to deliver the “biggest boost to affordable housing for a generation” and “the next wave of social and council houses”, while the Labour Party committed to building 1.5 million homes over the next five years in its general election manifesto.
The housing secretary was urged to address “years of policy uncertainty and underfunding” in a letter signed by the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Local Government Association.
Ms Rayner was told how capped income, debilitating cuts, unfunded new requirements and soaring costs had “decimated” housing associations’ and councils’ housing budgets.
In response, her department has promised the “biggest increase in social housing and affordable housebuilding in a generation”.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Our work is urgent. There is no time to waste. We are hitting the ground running by bringing forward the laws we will need to rebuild our country for the long-term – and our ambitious, fully costed agenda is the downpayment on that change.
“From energy, to planning, to unbreakable fiscal rules, my government is serious about delivering the stability that is going to turbocharge growth that will create wealth in every corner of the UK.
“The task of national renewal will not be easy, and this is just the downpayment on our plans for the next five years, but the legislation set out at the King’s Speech will build on the momentum of our first days in office and make a difference to the lives of working people.”
The new government has so far enjoyed a warm welcome from the sector. Senior leaders and trade bodies reacted with hope and encouragement to the Labour Party’s general election victory earlier this month, but warned that “the time for talking is over, it’s time to build”.
Source: Inside Housing