Following the reappointment of Angela Rayner as Housing Secretary, Luke Gale of wienerberger UK & Ireland, explores the practical reforms needed to turn the Government’s housing ambitions into reality. From supporting first-time buyers and reforming the planning system to tackling the construction skills shortage and unlocking investment in retrofit, they highlight four priorities that could help accelerate the delivery of high-quality, sustainable homes across the UK.
The reappointment of Angela Rayner as Housing Secretary comes at a pivotal time for the UK housing sector. With the Government maintaining its ambition to accelerate housebuilding and deliver 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament, there is a clear opportunity to work collaboratively with industry to turn ambition into action.
There is no shortage of demand for new homes; however, achieving the scale of delivery required will depend on more than ambitious targets alone. It will require long-term policy certainty, meaningful reform and measures that support the businesses responsible for delivering homes, from housebuilders and contractors to manufacturers and the wider supply chain.
For the construction industry, these challenges are not new. Still, with housing delivery under increasing pressure – from affordability and planning delays to skills shortages and the need to improve existing homes – there is an opportunity to address these structural barriers that have held back progress for years.
Supporting the next generation of homeowners
A healthy housing market begins with confidence, and first-time buyers are fundamental to creating that confidence. While demand for homeownership remains strong, affordability challenges continue to prevent many people from taking their first step onto the property ladder.
Providing long-term, consistent support for first-time buyers would not only help more people realise their ambition of owning a home but also give developers greater confidence to invest in new schemes. When buyers have confidence in the market, the entire housing pipeline becomes more resilient, helping unlock new developments and supporting sustained investment across the supply chain.
Creating this certainty is just as important as introducing new initiatives. Stable policies that remain in place over the long term enable developers, manufacturers and investors to plan with confidence and support a more consistent rate of housebuilding.
Reforming the planning system
The planning system continues to represent one of the biggest barriers to increasing housing delivery. While reform has remained high on the political agenda, the industry needs a process that is not only faster, but also more predictable, consistent and adequately resourced.
Delays at every stage of the planning process create uncertainty for developers, increase costs and ultimately slow the delivery of much-needed homes. Greater consistency between local authorities, improved resources for planning teams and clearer decision-making processes would help unlock stalled developments while providing confidence for future investment.
However, increasing the pace of delivery must not come at the expense of quality. The homes built today will shape communities for generations, meaning the focus must remain on creating homes that are energy efficient, resilient and fit for the future.
Achieving this balance between quantity and quality will require close collaboration across the supply chain, alongside continued investment in innovation, skills and UK manufacturing capability.
Tackling the construction skills shortage
Even with planning reform, housing targets cannot be achieved without addressing one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: the construction skills shortage.
Businesses across the industry continue to face difficulties recruiting and retaining skilled workers, creating pressures on productivity and limiting the pace at which new homes can be delivered.
Greater investment in apprenticeships, vocational training and initiatives that encourage more people to pursue careers in construction will be essential. At the same time, continued investment in UK manufacturing can help improve productivity while supporting a more resilient domestic supply chain.
Housing delivery depends on every part of the industry working together. Ensuring businesses have access to the skilled workforce they need will be fundamental to achieving the Government’s ambitions.
Supporting retrofit and existing housing stock
While increasing the supply of new homes remains critical, improving the performance of existing housing stock and unoccupied homes must also remain part of the wider housing strategy.
Calls to remove VAT on building materials used for refurbishment and retrofit have the potential to encourage greater investment in upgrading existing homes, helping improve energy efficiency while extending the lifespan of the UK’s housing stock.
Although new build remains central to tackling the housing shortage, retrofit has an important role to play in creating healthier, more sustainable homes and making better use of the properties already available.
A shared ambition
The challenges facing UK housing cannot be solved by government or industry alone. Delivering the homes the country needs will require genuine collaboration between policymakers, local authorities, developers, manufacturers and the wider construction supply chain.
The need for greater collaboration has also been recognised through initiatives such as STARK UK and Jewson’s Let’s Get Britain Building – NOW! campaign, which has brought together businesses from across the construction industry to highlight the barriers preventing the sector from delivering at the pace required.
The campaign reflects many of the challenges the wider industry continues to face, including the need to support buyers, improve the planning process, address skills shortages and encourage investment in existing housing stock.
The Government’s commitment to increasing housing delivery is encouraging, but ambition alone will not deliver the homes the UK needs. By creating the right conditions for investment, supporting the businesses that build Britain’s homes and working alongside industry to remove longstanding barriers, there is a real opportunity to accelerate delivery while ensuring homes are built to the high standards that future generations deserve.