Implementation of the Barker report on housing supply must be a government priority after the general election, a campaign group said this week.

Adam Sampson, director of homelessness charity Shelter and a member of the More and Better Homes campaign, said it would be “worrying” if progress had not been made by Christmas.

The campaign, whose members include Shelter, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, George Wimpey and the CBI, is likely to step up its work after the election on 5 May.

The campaign was set up in March 2004 in order to keep Kate Barker’s report high on the government’s agenda (HT 19 March 2004, page 8).

Sampson added: “The next six months are crucial. There are some areas where the work is progressing more quickly than others. It will be important that we press the government on the key areas immediately after the election.”

Areas awaiting progress include the introduction of a planning gain supplement, the reform of planning guidance PPG3 and modernisation of the housebuilding industry.

The Treasury, which commissioned the report, has pledged to make a decision on its proposals by the end of this year.

Source

Housing Today