Government set to unveil groundbreaking Housing Bill

Construction industry will benefit from plans to increase housebuilding. 

The Government is set to unveil plans for its Housing Bill which will be included in the first Queen’s Speech tomorrow. 

It will set out many of the legislative plans that the Government plans to drive in the next Parliament. 

The wide-ranging speech has already been touched upon in the past few weeks, and a number of topics close to the heart of the construction industry have already been touched upon or outlined. 

Recent weeks have seen plans unveiled about the Enterprise Bill and City Devolution Bill, both of which will be important drivers in the construction industry throughout the country. 

Housing falls into this bracket and it was a topic of much discussion in the run-up to the General Election, featuring prominently in the campaigns of all the major political parties. 

The focus of the Housing Bill is expected to centre on an extension of Right to Buy and reaffirming the promise to increase housebuilding. 

According to official figures, Government-backed schemes have helped more than 200,000 households buy a home since 2010, but there is a commitment to further action. 

The Housing Bill will expand on plans to increase national housing supply and create new affordable homes. 

The Conservatives’ Election manifesto announced plans to deliver 200,000 more starter homes by 2020, available at a discounted rate of 20% to first-time buyers. 

What the Housing Bill will do is see that this process is quicker, while it is hoped that the Government’s plans to provide a new register of brownfield land will make construction of new homes a much faster process on sites that are near existing communities. 

A commitment to this level of homes should, in theory, give the construction industry much more work in the way of housebuilding. 

Communities Secretary, Greg Clark, explained the advantages of the Housing Bill. 

“Our Housing Bill will offer over a million people a helping hand onto the housing ladder,” he said.

“That is what a government for working people is about – making sure people have the security they need to build a brighter future for them and their families.”

Brandon Lewis, Housing Minister, added to this by reiterating the commitment to building new homes. 

He said: “With housing starts at their highest since 2007, we’ll take steps that will get workers on sites and keep the country building.”

The post Government set to unveil groundbreaking Housing Bill appeared first on UK Construction Online.