Briefing: tackling the under-supply of housing in England

The headlines from the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham were predictable. Brexit still means Brexit – which nobody, it turns out, knows exactly what.

Less headline-grabbing but arguably more substantive was Theresa May’s announcement to remove the borrowing cap on councils to build homes.

Current projections predict that, on average, there will be a 30,000-40,000 shortfall of new housing being built annually in England until at least 2039.

Putting it bluntly, England has a housing crisis. And Westminster knows it.

In early September, a House of Commons Library paper entitled Tackling the under-supply of housing in England was published.

We at BECG have produced a briefing note on the paper, which details six key issues around the housing shortfall:

• The contribution of local authority and housing association sectors
• The suitability of land for development
• Local authority planning department funding
• Funding the planning system
• (Lack of) diversity in the planning/property market
• Construction industry efficiency

Other notable trends/observations include the significant shift towards rental and where blame lies for the housing crisis.

You can read our briefing note on Tackling the under-supply of housing in England here.