Is the housing crisis returning as a Government priority?

Planning reform will go a long way to helping solve the housing and skills crisis.

Addressing the policy conference of the Home Builders Federation (HBF), Housing Secretary James Brokenshire set out what the Government is doing to tackle the housing shortage and improve the quality of new homes.

Brokenshire emphasised:

  • the need to reduce planning delays;
  • increase the capability of local planning departments;
  • improve procedure to accelerate the end-to-end planning process; and
  • planning reform.

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) welcomes Brokenshire’s speech, particularly since it seems to suggest that housing may be returning as a priority for the Government.

Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB, said: “The housing crisis is the greatest challenge to social equality that we have in the UK. The Government must prioritise it. By building more and understanding how we physically get more quality homes built, we can make really positive changes to our communities.”

Rico Wojtulewicz, head of housing and planning policy at the House Builders Association, said: “When ministers utter the words, planning reform, the industry gets quite excited. Getting permission to build is a painful, slow and desperate process, especially for SMEs.

Addressing the policy conference of the Home Builders Federation (HBF), Housing Secretary James Brokenshire set out what the Government is doing to tackle the housing shortage and improve the quality of new homes.

Brokenshire emphasised:

  • the need to reduce planning delays;
  • increase the capability of local planning departments;
  • improve procedure to accelerate the end-to-end planning process; and
  • planning reform.

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) welcomes Brokenshire’s speech, particularly since it seems to suggest that housing may be returning as a priority for the Government.

Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB, said: “The housing crisis is the greatest challenge to social equality that we have in the UK. The Government must prioritise it. By building more and understanding how we physically get more quality homes built, we can make really positive changes to our communities.

Rico Wojtulewicz, head of housing and planning policy at the House Builders Association, said: “When ministers utter the words, planning reform, the industry gets quite excited. Getting permission to build is a painful, slow and desperate process, especially for SMEs. Reforming it will go a long way to helping solve the housing and skills crisis.

National Federation of Builders

The National Federation of Builders is a United Kingdom trade association representing the interests of small and medium-sized building contractors in England and Wales.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Riskiest Places to Purchase Property in England

Cash House Buyer Sell House Fast has revealed the riskiest places to buy and sell property in England, based on factors such as crime rates, flood risk, air pollution levels, road collision rates, and coastal erosion risk. The 5 riskiest places for buying and selling property in England: 1 – North East Lincolnshire (Overall Risk…
Read More
Breaking News

House prices steady in May despite broader market uncertainty

The latest Halifax House Price Index for May 2026 shows that: House prices fell by -0.1% between April 2026 and May 2026. This marks the second consecutive month of marginal monthly decline. Annual house price growth increased slightly to 0.5% in May 2026, up from 0.4% in April 2026. The average UK house price now…
Read More
Breaking News

Halifax House Price Index – May 2026

House prices steady in May despite broader market uncertainty. House prices edged down -0.1% in May, following a similar -0.1% fall in April Average property price now £298,806, compared with £299,251 in April Annual growth up slightly to +0.5%, from +0.4% in April Northern Ireland continues to record the UK’s strongest annual growth at +7.8%…
Read More
Breaking News

More mortgage borrowers turning to shorter-term fixes

Borrowers are increasingly turning to shorter-term fixed-rate mortgages in response to higher rates, new analysis of mortgage search activity on Moneyfactscompare.co.uk has found. The share of Moneyfactscompare.co.uk website users comparing two-year fixed-rate mortgages increased from 48.4% in February to 55.6% in May, while demand for five-year fixed deals fell from 27.7% to 21.8% over the…
Read More
Breaking News

Fear of a chain-breaks biggest concern in current market

The latest insight from quick sale specialists, House Buyer Bureau, has found that the most common reason homeowners choose a quick sale is no longer financial hardship, ill health, or the death of a loved one, but the desire to keep their onward move on track in an increasingly uncertain housing market. The internal data from…
Read More
Breaking News

Property auctions generate complaints at four times the rate of the wider housing market

Property auctions account for just 2% of home sales but generate more than four times their share of complaints, according to a new insight report by the Property Ombudsman. The report highlights that while auctions remain a relatively small part of the wider residential property market, they are generating a disproportionately high level of consumer…
Read More