In the news this morning is the government’s much-anticipated housing white paper, which will finally be launched today. Will the white paper mend a broken housing market? Among the measures, councils will be made to set aside land for thousands of houses, as a standardised method of calculating how many new homes are needed is introduced. Planning restrictions are set to be eased near town centres, developers will need to start building work within two years of planning permission being granted, and there will be measures to help those looking to downsize. And much more…
Housing white paper to mend broken market (FT/£)
Communities secretary Sajid Javid will today launch the first housing white paper for the UK in 20 years, and is expected to call the housing system one of the greatest barriers to progress.
Councils will need to set aside land for thousands of homes (The Telegraph/FREE)
Councils will have to allocate land for thousands of homes under measures due to be announced by the government today.
Broader range of builders needed to meet targets (The Times/£)
A broad range of suppliers is needed to ensure housing targets are met, outside of the major developers and housing associations, the chairman of the Homes and Communities Agency, Sir Edward Lister, told the communities and local government committee.
Labour calls housing plans feeble (The Independent/FREE)
The opposition Labour party has criticised housing plans announced by the government, with the shadow secretary of state for housing, John Healey, describing measures announced so far from the housing white paper as being feeble beyond belief.
Calls for ombudsman for housing disputes (The Times/£)
Conservative MP Oliver Colvile is hoping to meet with housing minister Gavin Barwell to push the idea of appointing an ombudsman to mediate between builders and homebuyers.
Downsizers limited on options (The Telegraph/FREE)
A shortage of suitable alternative housing, and high costs associated with moving house, is deterring older people who are looking to downsize from making the move.
Survey of women in architecture indicates wide-spread discrimination (The Times/£)
A survey of women in architecture indicates half may have been victims of discrimination over the last year, including sexism, bullying and harassment.
Retail sales growth slows (FT/£)
Retail sales growth slowed on the year in January, figures from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG showed.
More than half of small businesses likely to increase prices (The Independent/FREE)
The majority of the 1,500 businesses surveyed by the British Chambers of Commerce say they will need to increase their prices this year as a result of rising costs due to the weaker currency.
