Policy

Kit Malthouse steps into the role of Housing Minister

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Kit Malthouse has taken the reigns from Dominic Raab following his promotion to Brexit Secretary. The new Minister of State for Housing said, “I am delighted to be appointed as Minister of State for Housing. “Building the homes this country needs is a top priority for this government. I am keen to build on the real progress that has been made and start working with the sector so we can deliver more homes, restore the dream of home ownership and build a housing market fit for the future. “I’m also committed to continuing the important work of supporting those affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy and ensuring people are safe, and feel safe in their homes.” The latest in a long line […]

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Situation vacant: Raab moves on from Housing Minister role

Policy /

Dominic Raab has been promoted to Brexit Secretary following David Davis’ dramatic resignation this morning, leaving the post of Housing Minister vacant. The pro-leave politician has been in the role for just over six months. Once an outside bet for future leader of the Conservative Party, his time in the position was always likely to be short. The housebuilding industry must welcome its fifth Housing Minister in three years when Raab’s replacement is announced. Ishaan Malhi, CEO and founder of Trussle, said, “Two months ago, I was disappointed to see yet another reshuffle in the government’s Housing Ministry and now today we learn that the current Housing Minister has moved on from the post after just six months. “I wish I could

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Government funding for new leasehold houses to end

News, Policy /

New government funding schemes will no longer be able to use the money for new leasehold houses, in a continuing push to tackle abusive practices within the leasehold system. The move was announced by Communities Secretary, the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, as he outlined the government’s next steps towards delivering both the homes the country needs. The release of £450 million to speed up delivery of homes on sites of surplus public sector land and encouraging pace and modern methods of construction as a part of the building process. The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Communities, said, “The leasehold market has been a particular concern to me. Buying a home is the biggest financial investment any of

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Government review calls for 15,000 more bricklayers

Career Advice & News, News, Policy /

A review of house building has called for changes to the current system to ensure new homes are built faster and for thousands more British bricklayers to be trained to help meet government targets. Sir Oliver Letwin was commissioned by the government to examine what could be done to speed up the slow rate of housebuilding on major sites. The analysis also suggests a shortage of British bricklayers will have a “significant biting constraint” on government plans to boost the number of new homes built from 220,000 a year to 300,000. To meet the shortfall the analysis calls for 15,000 more bricklayers, almost a quarter of the size of the current workforce, to be trained over the next five years. It suggests

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Housing secretary moves towards banning combustible cladding

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Housing Secretary James Brokenshire has announced a consultation on banning the use of combustible cladding on the external walls of high-rise residential buildings. A consultation on banning the use of combustible materials on the external walls of high-rise residential buildings which are 18 metres or over has been published. This was announced in Parliament by the Housing Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP. The cladding believed to have been used on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations and should not have been used. The government wants to ensure that there is no doubt about which materials can be used on high-rise residential buildings. This consultation is inviting views on our proposals to revise the building regulations to ban the use of combustible

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