More than 100,000 homes fast-tracked by slashing red tape, government claims
The government claims it has fast-tracked the building of 100,000 homes by cutting red tape.
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Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner hailed the impact of the New Homes Accelerator, claiming it has “broken down the barriers” stopping new homes from being built, and would “turn the tide on the housing crisis”.
The scheme, launched by Labour last year, aims to help local councils with capacity problems in their planning systems, and has also removed regulatory hurdles from some schemes.
According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the scheme has already led to the building of 36,000 new homes.
A further 63,000 homes are also being driven forward by the initiative, the department said.
Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, said: “We’ve rolled up our sleeves and are breaking down the barriers which stop us from building the houses to buy and rent that families and young people need, helping to speed up the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes already.
“We are continuing to take decisive action through our New Homes Accelerator to speed up the delivery of homes, meet our stretching 1.5 million homes target through the plan for change, and get spades in the ground to turn the tide on the housing crisis.”
So far, the scheme has seen houses built in the North West, London, Somerset and the South East.
Despite progress, Labour is still far from achieving the 1.5 million homes it promised to build by the next Parliament.
Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said the Government “know they can’t deliver their housing numbers”.
He added: “Angela Rayner threatened to resign rather than be held to their 1.5 million homes ‘promise’.
“Their extra taxes and red tape are drowning businesses and making house building harder.”