The construction industry responds to the Conservative Manifesto

Following the recent publication of the Conservative Party Manifesto, ahead of the General Election in December, various leading figures within the construction industry have come forward with their responses, with many commending the Conservative’s realistic housing targets but questioning the promise of an Australian-style immigration system.

Specifically, the manifesto pledges to spend millions more ever week on schools, infrastructure, and apprenticeships while also reiterating the Conservative target of 300,000 homes per year by the mid-2020s. However, with the simultaneous imposition of a points-based immigration system, some individuals have their doubts.

The Managing Director of McBains, Clive Docwra stated: “The industry as a whole is coping with acute skills shortages as a result of many high-skilled tradespeople from abroad who have left the sector as a result of doubts over their employment status after Brexit. Promising millions of homes will never happen unless we have the workforce to build them.”

The Founder of modular developer Project Etopia, Joseph Daniels commented: “The trap that had offered itself to the Conservatives was to enter a game of one-upmanship with Labour over house building targets and push them ever further into the atmosphere.

“Boris Johnson and his team have resisted that temptation, instead focusing on an achievable and credible number. This is a good indication that they have got to grips with the detail and challenges of what is needed to deliver homes.

“The fact that Modern Methods of Construction get a mention is no accident. Mainstream interest in MMC is established and policymakers now regard offsite construction as the lifeboat that brings a target of 300,000 new homes a year into achievable focus.”

The Chief Executive of CPRE, Crispin Truman added: “We welcome the Conservative Party’s ongoing commitment to protect and enhance the countryside next door to our towns and cities, which is a crucial resource in tackling the climate emergency and improving the health and wellbeing of city dwellers.

“Less positive is the lack of ambition in tackling the affordable housing crisis in rural communities, particularly the need to deliver significant numbers of social homes. We are calling on the next government to invest £12.8Bn a year to provide genuinely affordable homes, including homes for social rent, with a fair proportion allocated for rural communities.”

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