We all know there is a severe housing shortage in the UK and the number of homes we require to meet the needs of the nation seems to change daily, especially since the Office for National Statistics has just revealed that it may have overestimated the country’s requirements for accommodation. Nevertheless, around 300,000 new homes per year is the current consensus and it is just not going to happen. To put that into perspective, the latest planning pipeline report by the Home Builders Federation shows that 391,000 homes were granted planning permission last year, more than double the 183,570 actually built. 

With tradespeople in short supply there is an urgent need for the industry to reduce the demand for on-site labour

It is not surprising therefore that, apart from the ongoing Brexit fiasco, housing was one of the hottest topics during this year’s party conference season. The message coming from all parties was that we need to build quicker and smarter. This political emphasis on housing was underlined by the prime minister’s sudden new commitment to support local authority housebuilding. This was as jarring as hearing the tones of ABBA’s Dancing Queen unexpectedly transitioning into a metaphorical Money, Money, Money. It was certainly welcomed by local authorities but left many of us wondering where the funding for supporting infrastructure would come from and who actually would build these homes – with so many restriction on tradesfolk post-Brexit.  

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