Select committee: Built Environment Committee
Conclusion 117
1st Report - Meeting housing demand
Published 10 Jan 2022
Built Environment Committee Meeting the UK’s housing demand All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
A common theme among witnesses was a concern about the ‘chilling effect’ that uncertainty about planning reforms is having on the system over and above the hurdle the present system imposes on the construction industry. When the future of planning is uncertain, landowners are reluctant to sell land for development, developers are reluctant to submit plans that they may have to change later, and councils are hesitant about drafting or approving new local plans. The proposals in the White Paper amounted to the most radical change of the system since 1947, so continuing uncertainty about which elements of these proposals will be implemented has left both developers and councils unable to make the commitments required for the Government to meet its ambitious housing targets.
From: Built Environment Committee, 1st Report - Meeting housing demand, 10 January 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 28 March 2022 (deadline 10 March 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the Committee's report and says it is "taking action on a number of the issues identified", agreeing with some recommendations while disagreeing with others, including on home ownership schemes and the Apprenticeship Levy.
- It "disagrees with the report's assessment that homeownership schemes do not provide good value for money", citing independent evaluations and its own evaluation of Help to Buy.
- On older people's housing, it is launching a new taskforce "this year", chaired by the Minister for Housing, to look at better choice, quality and security of housing.
- It does "not intend to set out a proportion" of Affordable Homes Programme funding for social housing, though "around half" of the affordable homes are to be for social and affordable rent.
- On the Apprenticeship Levy it says it has "no plans to review" it. On planning fees it is "exploring options" to increase them, and on local plans it will make an announcement "in due course".