Homebuilders and contractors condemn Gove’s U-turn on scrapping leasehold May 11, 2023 Homebuilders and contractors have come out against Michael Gove’s decision to U-turn on scrapping leasehold. Despite previously promising to abolish what he defined as a “feudal” system of property ownership, the plans have now been dropped by the levelling up secretary. Through leasehold, people buy the right to live in their flat, but not the [...]
Analysis: Is Michael Gove going to war with landlords? March 28, 2023 Michael Gove has accused “unscrupulous” landlords of using no-fault evictions to jack up rents.
Explainer: Keir Starmer picks housing as his trump card May 17, 2023 Today Keir Starmer was on a mission to steal the spotlight from Michael Gove’s new laws on renters’ rights. As the Levelling Up Secretary was bringing his much-delayed Bill to Parliament, the leader of the Opposition was on a broadcast marathon to outline his plan for housing. “We’re gonna back the builders, not the blockers”, [...]
Build, Baby, Build: You don’t solve a supply crisis by juicing demand June 18, 2024 Both parties are making big promises on housebuilding, but the policies being put forward are nothing new at best and actively harmful at worst, says Henry Hill This election is an important milestone in this country’s long-running housing crisis, because it is probably the first one in which both major parties have formally acknowledged that [...]
Private school VAT furore shows just how much help our state schools need June 27, 2024 VAT on private schools has been slated as a "tax on aspiration" - but why don't we focus on making state education aspirational?
Yet another housing minister? It’ll alienate young professionals November 14, 2023 The political churn of ministers is doing nothing to solve the housing crisis, and it's the young who are suffering, writes Henry Hill.
Property passports: Calls for compliance tracking rise to combat cowboy landlords May 25, 2022 Two property associations have urged for better tracking of safety regulations today, in a bid to clampdown on cowboy landlords and unsafe housing. The Lettings Industry Council (TLIC) has called for Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRN) to be embedded within the upcoming Renter’s Reform Bill, so that property safety records can be grouped within a portal [...]
‘Levelling up’ under fire for failing to help jobseekers February 21, 2022 Michael Gove’s levelling up strategy has come under fire for failing to support “the most vulnerable in society”. It comes after the Independent reported a two-year wait for government cash to help people into work after it was announced that replacement job schemes would only be funded “from 2024-25”. The paper reported last year that [...]
As Gove returns to the toxic housing seesaw, inflation will become his worst enemy October 27, 2022 After Monday’s reshuffle, and the new prime minister’s promise to fix the mistakes of his predecessor, can we expect some much needed stability in politics? Perhaps that’s wishful thinking, given the psychodrama that has rocked the Conservative party for the past year. But for those who are looking for some measure of consistency, there might [...]
Britain needs more safe and energy efficient homes, but targets miss the point December 1, 2022 Last week, we saw Conservative party backbenchers oppose Michael Gove’s target to deliver 300,000 homes a year in England. The scale of the rebellion meant the vote on planning reforms, enshrined in the levelling up bill, was pulled. The government’s levelling up strategy has the potential to make a positive difference, but its focus on [...]