Press Story

Luke Murphy, IPPR senior research fellow on housing, responding to reports on the government’s Housing White Paper today, said:

"IPPR welcomes the launch of the government’s White Paper which is the first for a nearly decade.

“However, while many of the reforms that have been proposed are welcome, if the government is serious about building the homes our country needs then it needs to go much further.

“The housing supply system in England is broken. To fix it, the government must tackle the dysfunctional land market and be willing to invest more in affordable housing. The government must also recognise that while there is a housing crisis in every part of the country, the issues in London are very different from those in Sunderland: which is why it so disappointing that there appears to be so little about further devolution of housing investment and powers.

“In addition, increasing housing supply takes time and will do little to benefit many people who will be renting privately for years to come. The government has outlined some limited proposals on private renting but it’s not clear whether the incentives being proposed will deliver the fundamental reform that tenants need.”

Ends

Contact

Becky Malone r.malone@ippr.org 0207 470 6154

Editor’s Notes:

1. IPPR’s report ‘Closer to Home’ recommended that the government should seek to devolve a much more ambitious set of housing powers as part of its devolution and city deals. These powers should come as part of a deal. Local and combined authorities must commit to ambitious targets and programmes. In return, government must put new options on the table including: lifting NPPF restrictions; fiscal devolution; and increased responsibility for design codes and standards.

2. IPPR aims to influence policy in the present and reinvent progressive politics in the future, and is dedicated to the better country that Britain can be through progressive policy and politics. With nearly 60 staff across four offices throughout the UK, IPPR is Britain’s only national think tank with a truly national presence.

Our independent research is wide ranging, it covers the economy, work, skills, transport, democracy, the environment, education, energy, migration and healthcare among many other areas. ippr.org