Grainger chief executive Helen Gordon was the subject of The Times’ Manifesto this weekend, talking about how government needs to make housing more of a priority and how the business has grown during her tenure.
She tells The Times that building houses would have the greatest impact on creating more affordable housing but that an “under-resourced” planning system is hindering that ambition.
Planning consents for new homes are currently at a record low.
Gordon’s biggest frustration is that the government does not prioritise housing as it should.
“We don’t even have a secretary of state for housing, we have a minister,” she tells The Times. “It’s an important job, but they normally go on to do something else. If you want to solve [the housing crisis], you’ve got to make it not [just a part of] communities and levelling up and the rest of it, but [housing] needs to be a proper department. Think about it: if you’re providing for a society, where would you start? Shelter.”
