Government action needed to prevent further fall in house building

The UK government needs to recommit to building 300,000 homes annually, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The organisation says the fastest fall in house building activity since May 2020 should be an alarm bell to the government to sit up and take action.

The comments come in response to the latest data from S&P Global/CIPS UK Construction PMI.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB says: “For too long we have not been building enough homes to address the growing housing crisis resulting in overcrowding and young people not being able to afford to get on the housing ladder.

“The government needs to recommit to building 300,000 every year and give hope to both consumers and house builders alike that it is serious about increasing the supply of new homes.”

Berry concludes: “What is very concerning is that the government lacks a clear plan to solve the housing crisis with the result that the housing market continues to soften, house prices increase, and more and more people are stuck in rented accommodation.

“While there are plenty of complex issues holding back house building, fundamentally we just need the government to get to grips with delivery and allow more local housebuilders to deliver high quality homes fit for their communities.”