In a bold move, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced a dramatic shift in housing policy aimed at tackling the UK’s severe housing crisis. She declared that local authorities would now face mandatory targets to boost housebuilding efforts, which could result in a sevenfold increase in some areas.
These changes are part of Rayner’s first significant intervention in government, aiming to address what she termed the ‘unforgivable’ housing shortage.
One of the most controversial aspects of Rayner’s plan is the relaxation of restrictions on building in the Green Belt.
This decision is expected to pave the way for at least 100,000 new homes in these protected areas.
Additionally, the government has scrapped the requirement for developers to create ‘beautiful’ homes, leading to concerns from the Tories about a potential rise in ‘ugly’ developments across the countryside.
Local councils will also lose the authority to block developments that are deemed ‘out of character’ with their area.
Labour’s initial goal was to build 1.5 million homes over five years, which translates to 300,000 homes annually.
However, Rayner has now set even higher targets, with an aim to construct 370,000 homes each year.
She warned that councils failing to meet these targets might have their planning powers revoked.
London’s Housing Target Reduced
In a surprising twist, Rayner announced a reduction in the housing target for London.
The capital’s annual goal has been cut from nearly 100,000 homes to 80,000.
This decision has drawn criticism, particularly from senior Conservatives, who argue that the move favors Labour’s London mayor, Sadiq Khan, and fails to address the city’s acute housing shortage.
Despite this reduction, Rayner insists that the revised target is still a significant challenge that the mayor is committed to meeting.
Regional Impact
The new housing targets will lead to significant increases in housebuilding in many parts of the country, especially in traditionally Conservative areas in the South.
For instance, Fareham in Hampshire will see its housing target rise from 115 homes per year to 794. Similarly, North Yorkshire’s target has been tripled from 1,361 to 4,232 homes annually.
Some Labour-controlled areas will also experience substantial increases, such as Redcar and Cleveland, where the target will rise from 45 to 642 new homes per year.
Additional Measures and Reactions
Rayner’s wide-ranging statement included several other measures:
– A review of the Right-to-Buy scheme
– Plans to reclassify parts of the Green Belt as ‘grey belt’ with looser planning restrictions
– A pledge to revolutionize council house building
– A consultation on doubling the cost of planning applications
– The introduction of a new task force to identify sites for new towns
Kemi Badenoch criticized the plans, accusing Rayner of allowing the construction of ‘1.5 million ugly homes’ and centralizing decision-making.
Former housing secretary Michael Gove also voiced concerns, pointing out that mandatory housing targets had been previously scrapped for being ineffective.
Moving Forward
Rayner defended the new targets, emphasizing the urgent need for more homes and the role this would play in boosting economic growth.
She acknowledged that the algorithm used to set the targets might produce surprising results for some areas but insisted that no method is perfect.
Councils will now be required to incorporate these targets into their local plans or risk central government taking over their planning functions.
While there are calls to protect the Green Belt and focus on brownfield sites, government sources argue that many such sites are unsuitable, necessitating the use of greenfield locations for new housing.
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