Housing targets need a major review. Building is nowhere near levels required.

9 comments

1. We know this but it’s always going to be behind every and all promises any gov will make.

   We have to build infrastructure, CPO land, take over long vacant buildings and lots and influence private development as well as insuring a constant flow of tradespeople on top of social housing goals.

   There’s parties and their local reps on all sides who will always stand in the way as it gives them more swing in an election than actually helping towards any long term goal for the betterment of the country.

   I don’t know what the solution is anymore tbh. “Build more gaffs” is just not easy by ideology and political one-upping.

2. 

3. This is by design

4. Years ago we told kids a trade was a waste of a life and to get ahead they need to go to college and get a degree. Now we have utterly useless degrees which will never land anyone a job and all the useful ones are in fields that are oversupplied in terms of not just local talent but foreign talent as well. A bricky can earn a damn fortune these days. Jobs going right now for 25-28 quid an hour and never enough people to fill them because they all think a crappy business computing course will make them millionaires.

5. Should be like they did with Covid, 6pm update, every night. Pressure on all sectors to deliver and transparency when they do and don’t delivery.

6. The targets for the amount of housing needed each year have been laughably wrong for a long time. There doesn’t seem to be any way to correct the targets either. Even if there was it would just make the government look incompetent if they did it. But for the record they should increase the targets just so everyone knows have fucked the system is.

   Not that it matters anyway, there will not be enough builders to complete the housing even if they increase the targets. The planning process is too slow to handle the increase in target and need. Materials are expensive. Buyers are pretty much at the limit. Renters are getting screwed. Interest rates won’t be coming down any time soon by looks of things.

   Tough, drastic and unpopular choices are going to be needed to help resolve the housing issue. Political leadership would he helpful on the issue but I won’t hold my breath. All the parties want an inoffensive solution but they don’t exist.

7. Around 30k houses are being built per year. What amount is acceptable?

8. Ah but sure it’s definitely immigration that’s the problem /s

9. I will keep repeating, it’s “demand **and** supply”. If every month I spend more than I earn I can’t just go to my employers asking for a raise, I need to look at my expenses and cut down on them. The demand is primarily created by companies expanding, but this expansion needs to be compensated by creating the same amount of accommodations; if housing estates are required to have access to green areas, school nearby, shop, … then offices should be required to provide proof that a housing development is going to offset the new demand.