Plans to build more homes in cities to be unveiled amid criticism from developers
Developers have accused the government of not doing enough to tackle falling levels of house building, as Michael Gove prepares to unveil plans that he says will boost construction – without spoiling the countryside.
In a speech expected on Monday, the levelling up and housing secretary will set out measures aimed at “unblocking the planning system” and increasing development in urban areas.
The prime minister has also announced that a manifesto promise to build one million new homes over this parliament will be met.
Government sources say a separate commitment to build 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-2020s still stands, despite a former Tory housing minister saying last May it would be missed “by a country mile”.
Mandatory housebuilding targets for local authorities were dropped by ministers last year after a rebellion from Conservative MPs concerned about the impact of developments.
Michael Gove
Rishi Sunak said the solution to the UK’s housing shortage was not “concreting over the countryside”.
He added: “Our plan is to build the right homes where there is the most need and where there is local support, in the heart of Britain’s great cities… by regenerating disused brownfield land, streamlining planning process and helping homeowners to renovate and extend their houses outwards and upwards.”
But the Home Builders Federation said the plans “do little to address the major reasons why housing supply is falling” and questioned if there was enough brownfield land available to meet demand.
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the group, said: “The increasingly anti-development policy environment is driving down housing supply, taking access to decent housing out of the reach in particular of young people, costing jobs and reducing economic activity.
“Much more decisive action is needed if government is serious about boosting housing delivery.”
In a speech in central London tomorrow morning, Mr Gove is expected to lay out several proposals, including:
- The creation of government-sponsored development corporations – modelled on a body set up by the Thatcher government in East London – with powers to buy up land using compulsory purchase orders and sell plots to developers.
- A new ‘super-squad’ of planners and other experts to help unblock major developments. The team would initially be deployed to Cambridge to work on expansion plans.
- The launch of a ‘Planning Skills Delivery Fund’ to clear backlogs and improve skills in the sector.
- Higher fees levied on developers to help improve planning services.
- New flexibilities to turn shops, takeaways and betting shops into homes and a cut in the administration required to convert barns and repurpose farm buildings.
- A review of ‘permitted development rights’ to make it easier for the public to extend homes, convert lofts and renovate buildings.
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The organisation representing local authorities criticised the government’s plans for increased flexibility in planning laws though – saying property conversions should be handled through formal planning applications.
“Further expanding permitted development rights risks creating poor quality residential environments that negatively impact people’s health and wellbeing, as well as a lack of affordable housing or suitable infrastructure,” said chair of the Local Government Association, councillor Shaun Davies.
A report by the cross-party Levelling Up Committee earlier this month concluded the government was on track to deliver one million new homes over the course of this parliament, but said the dropping of mandatory targets would make it difficult to meet the annual aim of 300,000 additional properties.
Government figures show 687,000 new homes have been delivered since early 2019, reaching a high of 242,700 in the 12 months to April 2020.
But in May last year, former housing minister Robert Jenrick – who now serves in the Home Office – predicted that housebuilding would fall in the immediate future and that the 300,000 target would be missed “by a country mile”.
Does the government’s rhetoric on homebuilding match up to reality?
Ballooning property prices have caused a big rise in the age of first-time buyers, with high deposit requirements stopping many getting on the housing ladder at all.
A lack of supply has also forced up rents, while rising mortgage rates are making the situation even more unaffordable.
Putting a figure on how much new housing is needed is tricky but most estimates range between 300,000 to 340,000 per year.
Ministers have previously said around this point, the increase in supply would start to have an impact on bringing down prices – although some query this logic.
Getting to this figure was dealt a blow when the government announced last year it would no longer be enforcing development targets.
This change was brought about by rebel Tory MPs and followed the loss of the Chesham and Amersham by-election to a Lib Dem campaign that centred on local anxieties over planning reform.
Housebuilders say the watering down of the targets has already led to 58 local authorities withdrawing or pausing their local housing plans.
Tomorrow’s push is designed to reassure the public on the issue of homebuilding without scaring traditional Tory voters (and their MPs) who are worried about buildings popping up in their leafy backyards.
While the government press release outlining the plans is adorned with positive quotes from developers like Persimmon and Keir, and bodies like RIBA and the Royal Town Planning Institute, you don’t have to look far to find deep scepticism as to whether the government’s rhetoric matches up to reality.
As well as the watering down of housing targets, criticism centres on the convoluted planning process, environmental regulations and whether there are enough brownfield urban sites to meet demand.
Much like tackling climate change, building new homes is something most people agree needs to happen – and yet, workable and scalable solutions everyone can agree with always seem thin on the ground.
Industry sources have also cast doubt on whether the government will hit its one million pledge, amid rising costs in the sector.
Housebuilders say the dropping of mandatory targets combined with the enforcement of pollution rules by Natural England has led to approved planning permissions falling to record lows.
The environmental watchdog has been accused by developers of blocking up to 145,000 homes because of so-called “nutrient neutrality rules” centred on the risk to waterways.
A new housing estate under construction in Ashford, Kent
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Gove said ministers needed to work with Natural England to make sure the balance was right between building new homes and protecting the environment.
Ahead of his speech, Mr Gove said: “At the heart of this is making sure that we build beautiful and empower communities to have a say in the development in their area.”
But Labour’s shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy said the Conservatives had failed to deliver enough new homes while in government.
She said: “It takes some serious brass neck for the Tories to make yet more promises when the housing crisis has gone from bad to worse on their watch, and when housebuilding is on course to hit its lowest rate since the Second World War because Rishi Sunak rolled over to his own MPs.”
The UK could see one of the hottest June days on record today, with temperatures reaching a scorching 34C.
Since 1960, UK temperatures in June have surpassed 34C in only three years, with the hottest being 35.6C, recorded on 28 June 1976.
It will be the fourth day of a heatwave for much of England, which is forecast to be hotter than holiday spots in Barbados, Jamaica and Mexico.
People enjoy the warm weather on Durley Chine Beach in Dorset. File pic: PA
Wimbledon is set for its hottest ever opening day, with temperatures expected to beat the previous record of 29.3C set on 25 June 2001. The hottest day of the tournament was seen on 1 July 2015, when temperatures reached 35.7C.
Find out the latest weather forecast
It could also be a tropical night, with parts of England staying above 20C overnight into Tuesday, the Met Office said.
On Tuesday parts of southeast England could hit 35C, though Scotland and Northern Ireland face heavy rain and cooler temperatures.
An amber heat health alert came into force on Friday – the second in two weeks.
The alert, which covers London, the East Midlands, the South East, and the East of England, lasts until 6pm on Tuesday.
The UK Health Security Agency also issued a yellow alert for Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands for the same period – warning of significant impacts on health and social care services.
An amber alert was previously issued for all regions in England on 19 June, the first time it had been used since September 2023.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature between 25-28C for three consecutive days. The threshold varies across the UK.
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Thomas Goodall said London “is already facing its second heatwave of the year” and warned “high temperatures and low rainfall in recent months means the current risk of wildfires is severe”.
He said firefighters have responded to around 14 wildfires in the capital so far this year and said it is “important everyone acts responsibly to prevent fires from occurring”.
“As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly,” he said. “In London, this can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.”
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Festivalgoers at this year’s Glastonbury. Pic: PA
It comes after major heatwaves across southern Europe left Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece in sweltering conditions of more than 40C over the weekend.
Temperatures were well above average in parts of southern Spain, with 46.8C recorded in Tresviso.
Two-thirds of Portugal was on high alert for extreme heat and wildfires, while several Italian regions banned outdoor work during peak hours of sun on Sunday.
The Italian health ministry also placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top tourist spots Rome, Milan and Naples.
Greece was on high wildfire alert because of the extreme weather, after a large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, which was fanned by strong winds and damaged several houses.
Dozens of MPs have called on Sir Keir Starmer to “urgently” establish a Ukraine-style visa to allow Gazans with family in the UK to come to Britain.
In a letter seen exclusively by Sky News, the 67 MPs and Lords from across the political spectrum, have asked the prime minister and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to create a “Gaza Family Scheme” to “reunite [Palestinians] with their loved ones in the UK until it is safe to return”.
“Just as the UK opened its doors to those fleeing persecution in Ukraine and Hong Kong, we believe that the same generosity should be extended to Palestinian families,” the letter says.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the UK opened up the Ukraine Family Scheme allowing Ukrainian nationals to join family members in the UK and live, work and study in the UK for up to three years. Applications closed in February 2024.
Two years before, the UK opened the British National (Overseas) visa to allow Hong Kongers fleeing after a strict national security law was imposed by China to live in the UK for five years then apply for British citizenship.
The letter is also addressed to Yvette Cooper. Pic: PA
The letter, sent to the PM on Sunday evening, has been signed by 35 Labour MPs and House of Lords members, including Marsha de Cordova, Clive Lewis, Stella Creasy, Richard Burgon, Kim Johnson, Afzal Khan, Rachael Maskell, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Andy Slaughter and Alex Sobel.
Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell are among a handful of former Labour MPs suspended from the party last year to sign the letter, as are all four Green MPs, Lib Dem MPs Tim Farron and Layla Moran, several Northern Ireland MPs and SNP MPs Graham Leadbitter and Brendan O’Hara.
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehquani, has also signed the letter.
Only one Conservative, former special adviser to William Hague, Baroness Helic, signed it.
In the letter, the politicians express their “grave concern at the immense suffering inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza”.
They accuse Israel of “shattering the temporary ceasefire agreement”, weaponising starvation, and intensifying its “campaign of bombardment and military assaults, and targeting of people accessing humanitarian aid”.
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Labour MP Marsha de Cordova organised the letter calling for a Ukraine-style family visa for Gazans. Pic: Parliament.uk
Labour MP Marsha de Cordova, who helped organise the letter with the Gaza Families Reunited campaign, told Sky News: “The Ukrainian Family Visa Scheme was the right response to a brutal war.
“Establishing a Gaza Family Visa Scheme would be an extension of those same principles, showing that this government is steadfast in its commitment to helping families experiencing the worst horrors of war.
“It is time for the government to act now to help British Palestinians get their loved ones to safety, enabling them to rebuild their lives.”
The MPs also say in the letter that since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage, at least 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and “the real death toll is likely to be exponentially higher”.
They say a Gaza Family Scheme would allow Palestinians in Gaza to reunite with their families – “people they may never see again unless urgent action is taken”.
The MPs say many Gazans who have attempted to come to the UK have “struggled to navigate the immigration system”, especially as they are required to provide biometrics to apply for a visa but that is “impossible due to the destruction of the visa application centre in Gaza and blockade of the Rafah crossing”.
They say there are a lack of safe zones or ways out of Gaza and some have constituents with family members who have fled Gaza to Egypt but “are stuck in limbo, with no access to schools or healthcare to begin the process of rebuilding their lives”.
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Dozens dead in Gaza after Israeli strikes
The letter adds that it would be a “vital step” towards addressing the UK government’s “historical, present, and ongoing responsibility towards Palestinians in Gaza” and the UK has a “duty to take all necessary steps to hold Israel to account for its crimes”.
Ghassan Ghaban, spokesperson for Gaza Families Reunited, said “family unity is an undeniable human right” and said Labour in opposition urged the Conservative government to do more to help British Palestinians get their relatives to safety.
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“We are still waiting for the new government to do the right thing,” he said.
“We, as Palestinians in the UK, simply want the opportunity to bring our loved ones from Gaza to safety, until it is safe to return.
“The UK welcomed those fleeing war and persecution in Ukraine and Hong Kong with open arms. All we are asking for is the same treatment to be extended to our family members who have experienced unimaginable trauma as a result of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
He added there is “only a small number of Palestinians in the UK”, and an even smaller number with family members in Gaza.
A government spokesperson said: “The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable.
“Since day one, we have been clear that we need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages cruelly detained by Hamas, better protection of civilians, significantly more aid consistently entering Gaza, and a path to long-term peace and stability.
“There are a range of routes available for Palestinians who wish to join family members in the UK.”
UK
From Brazil to Westminster: How health pilot is proving a force for good for patients and the NHS
Jessica Ellis is a Chewie. She’s not from a galaxy far, far away but here, right now, working in one of our most deprived communities. To the people she helps, she is a force for good.
We are standing in front of a large block of council flats in Westminster, central London. The entrycom buzzes.
“Hi Mrs Dikir, how are you?” Jessica asks. And then “thank you” as we’re let in and make our way up five flights of stairs.
Inside the flat, in the living room, Mr Jaber Dikir sits on a soft, plush armchair. It has to be comfortable because Mr Dikir spends most of his days sitting here.
“I have a heart problem, I have open heart surgery and now I have heart failure,” Mr Dikir explains. “I have water in my chest and that gives me big trouble to sleep, to breathe,” he adds as he begins to wheeze.
I ask Mr Jaber how Jessica has been able to help him.
“She hears you, she listens to you,” he replies. “She understands everything. She even called the doctor and he gave me permission to stay at home (for my blood tests). That’s really appreciated. I couldn’t walk properly, I couldn’t go to the clinic.”
Jessica is a community health and wellbeing worker (CHWWs). That’s where the nickname comes from.
CHWWs work in small teams, going door to door in some of the most deprived areas of the country.
It’s part of an NHS pilot inspired by a successful programme in Brazil.
A simple but effective intervention
Jessica says her role is “to make life easier”. Mr Dakir, she tells me, is struggling with his mobility. So is organising a designated disabled bay.
“Mr Dakir is struggling to get out to his appointments, and the GP needs a blood test from him. So I was able to speak to the GP and he’s been labelled as temporarily housebound so the district nursing team can come in now and take the bloods for him at home.”
Jessica Ellis works as a community health and wellbeing worker in Westminster
A simple but effective intervention that has a huge impact on Mr Dakir and the NHS.
The project is currently being used in 15 neighbourhoods around the country. In Westminster, there has been a 7% drop in A&E admissions and an 11% reduction in hospital admissions year on year.
There has also been a 47% increase in the likelihood of households having vaccinations, an 82% increase in cancer screenings and a 7.3% drop in unscheduled GP consultations.
Taking community care right to the patient’s door
Dr Melinda Creme is a local GP. Jessica acts as a conduit between Dr Creme and her patients.
Dr Melinda Creme, a GP in Westminster
“We need to look at the costs of what might happen downstream if disease is not picked up earlier, if health inequalities are not addressed sooner, and so there should be potential huge savings down the line.
“It might take five years, 10 years to make a difference and that’s the issue, because obviously governments change within that time.
“But if there’s a long-term lens on this, then we stand a chance of being able to afford a health service free at the point of delivery.”
This is exactly what the government wants, what the NHS wants, to bring care into the community. With this project, they are taking community care right to the patient’s door.
Community health and wellbeing worker Jessica Ellis visits Jaber Dikir, who has a heart condition, at his home
Dr Creme says the days when people would go to their GP and expect their family doctor to look after anybody and everybody about everything are gone.
“We can’t possibly do that. We’re not equipped to do that because the population is expanding and we cannot address all needs.”
Labour’s 10-year health plan set for launch
The government is expected to focus on personalised and community care in its 10-year health plan when it is published on Thursday.
It will look to ease pressure on buckling emergency departments and models like this have shown early signs of good results, but they require time and investment.
Projects like this can help ease the strain on services facing record pressures and tight budgets. They could be a significant part of a wider NHS plan.
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