The Conservative Party has pledged to create a ‘nation of homebuilders’ if they win the next general election.

Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps told delegates at the Conservative Party Conference today that, under a Conservative government, villages would be granted powers to expand by up to 10% over ten years.

He also said that local housing trusts would enable rural areas to apply local democracy to build the homes they need.

Shapps claimed that local communities would be rewarded for building homes by receiving match funding of the council tax revenue from the new homes for 6 years.

‘We will give people something in return for development,’ said Shapps. ‘When a community builds more homes, we’ll match pound-for-pound the extra money that the area gets through council tax for 6 years.’

Shapps went on to slam the government’s record on house-building and accused them of total failure.

‘12 years in power; 10 Housing Acts of Parliament; 9 Housing Ministers and the results are fewer homes built than at any time since the 2nd World War,’ he said.