Brandon Lewis
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Housing Market
Government aims to deliver 1m new homes
The Government announced this week that it wants to deliver 1 million new build homes in England by 2020, in an effort to tackle the growing housing crisis. The mounting supply-demand imbalance in the market is driving up both property prices and rents across many parts of the country, with new research suggesting that the average price of a residential property Britain could reach a whopping £300,000 by the end of the year, if price growth in the property market continues at its existing pace. Rightmove’s latest House Price Index revealed that the average price of a home hit a new national high of £294,834 in September, owed mainly to a lack of housing stock coming on to the market. Miles Shipside (left), of Rightmove, commented, “High demand, lack of suitable supply, and increasingly stretched affordability are leading to some extremes in market forces in different sectors and parts of the country.” The National Housing Federation estimated that 974,000 new homes were needed between 2011 and 2014 to meet demand, and in reality that figures looks likely to rise. Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said this week that the Government is determined to deliver 1 million new homes during the course…
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Housing Market
Housing completions soar in England
House building in England is now at its highest level since 2008 following a significant rise in the volume of new homes being developed, new Government figures show. In the year to June, 131,060 residential properties were completed, a rise of 15 per cent on the same period a year ago. The latest quarterly house building statistics from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) show that between April and June, the number of completions rose by 22 per cent year-on-year. The Housing Minister, Brandon Lewis (right), welcomed the figures, but admitted there was more to do, vowing that the Government would “deliver 275,000 affordable homes by the end of this Parliament”. However, the number of new homes being started dropped by 1 per cent over the year, to 136,320, and by 6 per cent on a quarterly basis. The data was described as “encouraging” by Henry Gregg (left), the National Housing Federation’s(NHF) Assistant Director of Campaigns. But he also said that it was crucial that we as a nation continue to increase our efforts “to build the homes that are desperately needed”. He commented, “Last year alone we built less than half of the homes needed, pushing house…
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Housing Market
£100m funding boost for house builders
The Government has pledged to match the £50 million promised by Lloyds Banking Group in October to help increase the supply of needed new homes across the country, the Housing Minister Brandon Lewis (left) announced this week. The Housing Growth Partnership will act as a dedicated initiative alongside small builders to invest in new developments, with the ultimate aim of increasing housing supply. The latest house building data reveal that housing starts are now at a seven-year high and climbing, while the volume of homes granted planning consent has reached 261,000 – the highest since 2007. But to help “maintain this momentum and keep the country building”, Lewis said that the Government recognised that greater investment in the sector is needed. He commented, “The 2008 economic crash devastated our army of small builders, with delivery falling from 44,000 homes to just 18,000 – seven years on, companies are getting back on their feet but we’re determined to give them all the help they need.” Lloyds Banking Group said that it welcomed the Government’s announcement of support for the housing growth partnership, which will double the capability to support SME house builders. Andrew Bester, Group Director and Chief Executive, commercial banking…
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Latest property news
Brandon Lewis remains Housing Minister despite confusion
Brandon Lewis (left) will remain Housing Minister despite reports he had been replaced. At the start of last week, it was thought that Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford since 2001, had been appointed the new Housing and Planning Minister, in the Communities department, following the appointment of Greg Clark as Communities Secretary. Following 24 hours of confusion, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) confirmed that Mr Lewis, who is widely thought to have impressed during his brief tenure as Housing Minister in the run-up to this month’s General Election, would in fact retain ministerial responsibility for planning and housing in a reshuffle that has seen various new MPs arrive at the DCLG. A DCLG spokeswoman, said, “I can confirm that Brandon Lewis will remain Housing Minister.” Mr Lewis, who retained his seat in Great Yarmouth by a majority of 43 per cent, outstripping the Labour and UK Independence Party (UKIP) vote, will report to new Communities and Local Government Secretary Greg Clark (right), who replaced Eric Pickles in the Government reshuffle, while Mark Francois has actually been appointed as a Minister of State at the DCLG. The role of Minister of State for Housing and Planning…
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Guest Blogs
General election
Brandon Lewis, The Minister of State for Housing and Planning, reflects on what the Coalition Government has achieved on the housing front and gives us an insight into the Conservative Party’s strategy if elected in May.
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