Editor: There is a certain pantomime played out by politicians and the media when discussing housing policy, illustrated perfectly in the recent BBC programme Britain’s Housing Crisis: What Went Wrong?
It went like this: Landlords bad. Tenants good. Nimbys bad. Yimbys good. Nutrient neutrality good. Housebuilders bad. Home ownership good. Renting bad.
This heroes-and-villains narrative is far too simplistic. It might make good TV, and it might win some votes, but it’s not the whole truth.
Whichever party is in power next needs to better understand, articulate and crucially legislate (or refrain from legislating) for our unique housing ecosystem.
Something that must change is the tendency to point the finger at developers for the housing crisis. Housing supply (or lack of) is influenced by a variety of factors, including population growth, labour and material availability, economic conditions, government policies, planning rules and lending practices. Blaming developers for all of this oversimplifies the issue.
Like it or not, housebuilders are integral to UK plc and are the only players in the living sector ecosystem with the ability to help a government deliver at scale. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer appears to have acknowledged this symbiosis.
Landlords are also demonised. There are undoubtedly some terrible landlords and legislation to protect tenants is welcome. Leaving landlord stereotyping unchallenged ignores the supply-side success stories of purpose-built student accommodation, build to rent and co-living. These sectors provide much-needed rental homes and are high amenity, professionally managed and institutionally owned. Any legislation to protect tenants needs to take great care not to undermine these models.
Lastly, the planning system: Starmer proposes bulldozing it, but he ought to save that for the brown and grey belt. The bones of the system are fundamentally good but oh so slow. Bringing back local plan-making, housing targets and more boots on the ground should help.
A meaningful debate on housing supply needs to focus keenly on who and what helps us build more homes and less of the blame game.
Catherine Williams, co-head of living, Addleshaw Goddard
No comments yet