Blog>News>Labour’s plans for housing and what it means for you
Last updated: 3 October 2024
Labour’s plans for housing and what it means for you
Rachel Reeves announced Labour’s plans to tackle Britain’s growing housing crisis in her first speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer, following the General Election.
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Rachel Reeves noted how planning laws, labour shortages, and rising costs have challenged the construction of sufficient homes under previous administrations.
With a chronic shortage of housing, demand outstrips supply, and private rents in Britain have reached record highs.
In response, the new Government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes across the UK over the next five years by reforming the planning system, making it easier to build on “grey belt” land - with half earmarked for affordable housing. This would mark a dramatic increase in housebuilding not seen since the 1970s.
What does this mean for homeowners and tradespeople?
To meet these ambitious targets, Government needs to work in partnership with the private sector to tackle supply chain constraints and the shortage of skilled construction workers to deliver this housing volume.
Planning
Labour has said it will reintroduce mandatory local housing targets, with Local Authorities required to produce plans on how they will meet these targets. This includes looking at what houses can be built on low-quality green belt land (dubbed the “grey belt” by PM, Sir Keir Starmer).
Meanwhile, 300 new planning officers are anticipated to help unclog the system.
For homeowners, this will see an uptick in the availability of new homes, alleviating the pressure on the housing market.
For tradespeople, an increase in the demand for jobs, including in the repair, maintenance, and improvement of these spaces.
Futureproofing UK homes
The new homes will be built to the latest high standards, including high energy efficiency ratings.
With the growing uptake of electric vehicles and other low-carbon technologies, many of these homes will come with these technologies built-in as standard – helping to meet homeowner expectations.
Labour has also promised to upgrade the existing UK housing stock through its Warm Homes Plan.
For homeowners, this will help to reduce their carbon footprint, improve energy efficiency, and ultimately, lower their energy bills.
There’s good news for tradespeople too, as there’ll continue to be an increase in the need for skilled tradespeople who can deliver the new net zero technologies.
The demand for skills
All of this means a need for investment in the training and skills provision for tradespeople across the country.
Checkatrade has identified a skills gap in the UK that Labour must address to realise its ambition.
Working with Local Authorities and local skills providers will be important, and Labour has said it wants to create Skills England to oversee this.
Checkatrade is already working with local providers across the UK, and we look forward to unveiling further updates later this year - including the next edition of our annual Trade Skills Index to help inform and move forward this critical debate.
Checkatrade publishes annual UK Trade Skills Index 2024
The report, produced in conjunction with Capital Economics, highlights an urgent need for 1.3 million new skilled workers and 350,000 apprentices over the next decade to meet Government targets and the ever-growing demands on the construction, home improvement and repair industries
Image credit source: www.x.com/RachelReevesMP