Lack of skilled workers may be biggest barrier to Labour hitting 1.5m homes target, warns economist

By Carl Brown2024-07-15T09:29:00

Source: Shutterstock

Construction Products Association director Noble Francis warns “there just won’t be the people” to meet key manifesto pledge

A lack of skilled construction labour and product manufacturing capacity may hold back Keir Starmer’s plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years, a respected economist has warned.

Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, said the government is likely to be hoping for a steady trajectory in increasing housebuilding to just over 380,000 homes by the fifth year of the parliament. This means housebuilding needs to increase by 60% as there were 234,400 net additions to the housing stock in England last year, once conversions are included.

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