Conservative Shadow Housing Minister Michael Gove has continued the growing trend of putting housing high on the political agenda. Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing ’s (CIH) Annual UK Conference and Exhibition in Harrogate he set out some of his party’s latest thinking on how they would tackle what he described as a ‘housing crisis’.
Mr. Gove confirmed that achieving a better balance between housing supply and demand would be the central issue to be tackled if his Party formed the next Government. He confirmed that his Party was now in agreement with the housing professional’s own analysis of the challenges facing the sector, including the negative effect poor housing was having on the economy, social mobility, aspirations, health, community cohesion, education and social justice.
Mr. Gove described the Government’s plans to build 200,000 new homes showed a ‘poverty of ambition’, although he stopped short of stating how many new homes would be built under a Conservative Government. He said that increasing housing supply could only be sustained with private sector development, although he considered that Local Authorities could play a greater role through borrowing.
Differences in approach between Labour and Conservative policies were also highlighted by Mr. Gove. The Conservative approach would be more decentralised and market sensitive. It would include reform of the planning system which he described as disfunctional. He articulated that his party would work in partnership with all stakeholders – including those currently often overlooked by the Government - to protect the environment, aesthetics and financial considerations. He thought that communities should be able to determine themselves how housing should be developed in their area.
In his speech Mr. Gove said he was in favour of community land trusts and suggested that land use regulations could be relaxed to allow land designated for commercial use to be liberated for residential use.
CIH Deputy Chief Executive Sarah Webb said: "I am pleased to see we’ve achieved a cross-party commitment to building more new homes and securing affordability. CIH will continue to work to develop practical and effective ways to do this and to maintain political focus on existing stock, so that housing professionals can continue to create sustainable communities that meet a range of needs and aspirations".
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(Issued on behalf of the CIH by Jill Dwyer, Media Relations Officer, CIH Press Office, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry CV4 8JP. Telephone: 07786 716961. Press@cih.org).
Notes to Editors:
- The CIH is the professional body for individuals working in housing. Its primary aim is to maximise the contribution that housing professionals make to the well-being of communities. CIH has over 20,000 individual members working for local authorities, housing associations, Arms Length Management Organisations, Government bodies, educational establishments and the private sector. Further information is available at: