Gavin Barwell MP
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Latest property news
Property industry leaders named in George Osborne’s London ‘power list’
Several high-profile names from the property industry have been named as among the 1,000 most influential people in London, it has been revealed. Called Progress 1000, the list records the people “who make a difference to London life” and is organised by the George Osborne-edited newspaper The Evening Standard. Property industry names within the list include Rightmove’s Head of Marketing, Iain Kennedy (pictured, left), who told The Negotiator he was “surprised and thrilled to find out I’d been included in the Progress 1000 alongside so many remarkable people.” Other big property names include developer Harry Handelsman of the Manhattan Loft Corporation, British Property Federation Chief Executive Melanie Leech (pictured, below), Berkeley Group Chief Executive Rob Perrins and its founder, Tony Pidgeley, as well as Weston Homes founder Bob Weston. They join Prince Charles, who has been named ‘Londoner of the Decade’ as well as mayor Sadiq Khan, TV presenter Graham Norton, the founder of Deliveroo William Shu, actresses Gillian Anderson, Naomi Harris and Gemma Arterton and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Former housing minister Gavin Barwell (pictured, left), who is now Theresa’s Chief of Staff, is also on the list. The annual list was unveiled last night at a star-studded bash…
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Latest property news
Housing White Paper: Is this the week when everything changes?
The Government’s much-anticipated housing White Paper is due out this week and already several government sources including housing minister Gavin Barwell have indicated that a radical shift in policy is to take place. After nearly forty years of preferring and supporting home ownership over renting, several Whitehall sources as well as ministers have indicated they intend to tackle the rental market to make it a more secure housing option. Communities secretary Sajid Javid (pictured, left) said he wanted housing to be more affordable and that the rental market must offer more choice. He described both the rental and ownership markets as ‘broken’. The main thrust of the White Paper is likely to include three-year long family-friendly tenancies, tougher action against rogue landlords, more ‘affordable rent’ properties within new-build developments, as well as more detail on the letting agent fees ban consultation. Gavin Barwell (pictured, right) appeared on BBC1’s Sunday Politics TV programme and, during a grilling by presenter Andrew Neill, admitted that the government’s track record on building affordable homes was ‘embarassing’ and that wanted that to stop that in the future. “Whether you are trying to buy or to rent, housing in this country has become less and less…
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Latest property news
Minister gives £1.2bn starter homes scheme green light
A scheme outlined a year ago while David Cameron was still in power that enables first time buyers to purchase discounted starter homes has been given the green light by housing minister Gavin Barwell (pictured). He told Sky News yesterday that up to 500 brownfield sites within 30 local authorities will create up to 30,000 new homes during the current parliament, funded via a £1.2 billion Starter Homes Land Fund. The sites will include several town centres and, the government says, will support wider regeneration and growth of local areas. Barwell says construction will “start quickly” and that planning permission for the sites will be streamlined, simplified and therefore much less expensive than for normal developments, enabling the properties to be sold ‘at least’ 20% below market value. The homes will only be available to first time buyers between 23 and 40 years old and the scheme only applies to properties selling for a maximum of £250,000 outside London and £450,000 within the capital. Each of the 30 local authorities (see list below) has been selected because, the government believes, they can implement the new scheme the fastest. Authorities must now identify potential brownfield sites working in partnership with the…
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Latest property news
5-minute briefing: Barwell’s housing plans
Housing and Planning minister Gavin Barwell has confirmed that he is to undertake a significant review of the government’s housing plans within the next four weeks that will swing government policy away from its previous mania for home ownership and take a more realistic approach that includes the private rented sector. Speaking at a RICS reception at the Conservative Party Conference earlier this month he confirmed a White Paper is in the offing and made it clear he wants to ‘stabilise’ the rental market. On the other hand, he also plans to make more land available to build homes on and turn more planning ‘permissions’ turned into ‘builds’, a dig at the big builders for not keeping up with demand. Initiatives within the rented sector are likely to be bad news for letting agents as only two levers of control are available to the government. These are to either make tenancies longer and more secure, something the Residential Landlords Association and Shelter have been pushing for, and to back the spread of Build to Rent. Agents have been resisting longer tenancies and many say their tenant clients like the flexibility of short-term, rolling contracts. But Barwell doesn’t agree and as recently as August he said…
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Latest property news
New Housing Minister announced
Gavin Barwell, MP for Croydon Central takes on a dual role with the additional job of Minister for London.
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