King Charles has delivered his speech to the House of Lords, the first State Opening of Parliament under a Labour government since 2009.
The King’s Speech outlined 35 draft laws addressing a range of topics and tackling the housing crisis was high on the agenda.
This included plans to introduce a national housing programme to deliver 1.5million homes, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which would allow for land to be bought more cheaply for building, and also that the government will look to bring sustainable growth to the industry by encouraging investment in skills and new technology.
The King also spoke about devolution, saying: “My government believes that greater devolution of decision-making is at the heart of a modern dynamic economy and is a key driver of economic growth and my Ministers will introduce an English Devolution Bill. Legislation will be introduced to give new powers to metro mayors and combined authorities. This will support local growth plans that bring economic benefit to communities.”
This echoes the sentiment of a letter written by Housing Minister, Angela Rayner, to council leaders urging them to take control over areas such as housing and planning, transport and employment support.
The King also outlined Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill, which would give greater rights and protection to tenants and bring an end to no-fault evictions. A similar bill was drafted during Rishi Sunak’s government, although was significantly watered down and eventually abandoned when the election was called.
Here’s how the housing industry has reacted to the King’s Speech:
Mark Booth, co-founder of Hayfield, said: “It’s encouraging to see Labour carry on the momentum from its election campaign when it comes to planning reform. We welcome the new measures outlined in the King’s Speech, which will look to streamline planning processes and ensure sufficient land is available for housing development. Kick-starting the legislation for GB Energy will also provide a boost for the housebuilding sector, which needs a better-connected, decarbonised grid and increased capacity to power the new homes the government is targeting.”
“However, if we are to ‘rebuild Britain’ we need to see a fundamental change happening quickly, beyond just requiring local councils to earmark land for future homes. Restoring mandatory housing targets and an increase in planning officers will go part of the way, but we need a solution that incentivises local planning authorities to deliver housing in all areas of the country, such as performance-based funding for local planning authorities that meet or exceed their targets.”
Wayne Douglas, managing director for City & Country, commented: “Labour has an ambitious plan to not just unlock 1.5 million homes over the next parliament, but solidify its position as the party to transform housebuilding. The immediate and only way to generate the required volume of housing is to reform the planning system, but in order to do that the Labour Party must open its eyes to the reality of building on the green belt. Simply put, there is not sufficient brownfield land to meet the extreme housing need facing our country. The green belt, which is often made up of cultivated agricultural and recreational land, is neither particularly biodiverse nor ecologically valuable. The King’s Speech has set us on the path to planning reform, but it is imperative that the Labour party now moves fast to set the tone for housing delivery over the next five years. In order to do that, we need to look more closely at our protected land and remove the shackles on the so-called green belt to provide high-quality homes for more communities around the UK.”
Craig Carson, managing director at Barratt West London, said: “For the first time in nearly a decade, there will be a Labour government working together with the Mayor of London and with a commitment to build 1.5million homes across the next parliament, overhaul the planning system and, perhaps crucially for Londoners, to take a brownfield-first approach when it comes to development. The prioritisation of brownfield and the new ‘grey belt’ land will help unlock large swathes of land for development, including former car parks and commercial units. This will be particularly beneficial in the outer boroughs of London such as Barnet, Harrow, Ealing, Newham and Brent, alongside more central locations such as Southwark, ensuring developers can accelerate build programmes and deliver much-needed high-quality, sustainable homes for Londoners. It is vital that the new government works with the Mayor to create a pro-development environment and offer support to first-time buyers and young families to be able to get a foot on the ladder in the capital.”
Alex O’dell, co-chair of the Corporate Leaders Group UK and vice president for GB&I of VELUX, said:
“The new government’s proposed plans to build 1.5million high-quality, sustainable and affordable homes over the next five years, as well as the creation of new towns that prioritise green spaces, schools, and essential community infrastructure, are key for a robust society. A strong focus on low-carbon intensive building materials and processes should underpin such schemes. Additionally, improving living standards in existing buildings must be prioritised.”
“VELUX welcomes Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plan to “get Britain building again” and believes that the Labour Party’s plans for sustainable and energy-efficient housing must be at the heart of the new government’s agenda. The King’s Speech marks the start of a much-needed change to the UK’s housing landscape. We fully support the new government in its efforts to transform the housing sector and in doing so ensure that sustainable and better buildings are prioritised to benefit all communities.”
Chief executive of Dolphin Living, Olivia Harris, said: “Naturally, we broadly welcome the measures announced today in the King’s Speech to get Britain building again, especially the commitment to building more homes of all tenures through reform of the planning process and increased land supply. However, it is vital that the new government does not see the delivery of housing in isolation, but as integral to its overall plan to raise productivity and economic growth through the provision of more homes to support workers on modest incomes in high-value areas. In addition to meeting overall housing targets and delivering much-needed social housing, local authorities should be given a duty to have regard to the wider needs of the community, both those relying on essential services and those working to deliver them. In doing so they should consider the societal benefit of delivering homes available to rent at below-market rent for those workers who support critical industry and the provision of public services, as part of any reform of the planning system.”
Paul Rickard, managing director of Pocket Living, said: “Taking the brakes off alone will not be enough without an effective engine. In order to deliver this welcome and ambitious agenda we not only need planning reform and measures to get the builders building again, including encouraging new entrants to the housebuilding sector, especially amongst our depleted ranks of SME developers who have dwindled over the last 30 years. We also need to see a transformational change in how the government releases public sector land, invests in measures to unlock difficult brownfield sites, and promotes new forms of public/private partnership models.”
