Councils need extra support to build more homes
Councils need more support from Whitehall if the government is going to build three million new houses by 2020, a report by MPs and peers concludes.
The report, published today by the All Party Urban Development Group (APUDG), states that councils need extra government support - especially from the newly created Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) - to deliver the additional homes needed in their areas.
Moreover, the group warns that the HCA must avoid the temptation to nationalise housing policy and actually work with local councils to address the different needs of housing markets.
Instead, the group recommends that the HCA should act as a ringmaster - bringing skills and investment from the public and private sector together, and providing expertise to councils that need extra technical support.
The group also finds that private sector landlords will have a vital role to play in and that the government needs to do more to encourage long term, professional institutional investors.
APUDG chair Clive Betts MP, said: “It’s time to move beyond national housing targets. We urgently need to get to grips with the practical difficulties of building three million new homes. Local authorities must play a key role in delivering homes, and they need help to deliver the goods.
“The HCA is in a strong position to bring housing expertise under one roof and give specialist advice to local authorities. However, more needs to be done to attract long term professional institutional investors into the private rented sector. Otherwise the number of homes will fall considerably short of the mark.”
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