We need to build more, and quicker – but there’s no silver bullet

We’re also pleased to see the government committing to address the issues surrounding land supply with the review of the green belt, and we commend the reintroduction of housing targets.

There were other announcements which, while not related to planning, were relevant and welcome for housing. These included the ban on no-fault evictions; many of the residents in our temporary accommodation schemes are homeless after being evicted by private landlords.

This is all good news but, with the urgency of the housing crisis, we would like to see the new government go even further.

While infrastructure, public land and planning reform will support delivery, without additional policy changes, the system will remain plagued by skills shortages, high materials costs and the lack of a national vision for housing.

That means we’d like to see government focus on making planning and construction an attractive profession for young people and on giving planning departments more control. We’d also urge them to empower councils to suspend Right to Buy sales where they deem it necessary.

As any small or medium builder will tell you, diversifying the supply chain is also crucial. We need more players in the marketplace, not a small number of very big providers.

Finally, we hope that the government looks to prioritise public land for public housing, using a community asset for community benefit rather than allowing it to be turned into properties that most local people can’t afford.

Away from national politics, making the system work in practice necessitates a new model of collaboration with local partners. We recently held an emergency housing summit together with Bath & North East Somerset Council.

Housing is one of the six pillars in the council’s new economic strategy, and the event allowed us to start work on a shared 30-year housing vision and plan. Everyone present agreed on the imperative for new housing, particularly affordable housing. We also agreed that there is not one silver bullet. Lots of things must change over the long term to deliver the homes we need. But, above all, the message was clear: success in our region will rest in large part on a truly collaborative approach to housebuilding.

“Every year, the numbers tick up, as do average waiting times. A family needing a four-bedroom home can expect to wait more than 100 years to be housed”

There are 5,500 families on the waiting list for social housing in Bath & North East Somerset. Last year, just 700 of them were housed. Every year, the numbers tick up, as do average waiting times. A family needing a four-bedroom home can expect to wait more than 100 years to be housed. These statistics are not unique. They are echoed in local authorities all over the country, where 1.29 million other people sit and wait.

We, as the housing association sector, need to play our part in building the affordable housing this country needs. This means innovating, collaborating and taking greater risks to achieve our core social purpose: housing people who might otherwise be unable to find a place to call home. To see the Labour government commit to supporting housing associations to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply is extremely welcome.

Government is able to set the right conditions, and the bills announced in the King’s Speech are a great starting point. We are committed to building our next 1,000 homes even quicker and look forward to the day that the country can declare a national housing victory.

Victor da Cunha, chief executive, Curo