Can the PM’s Housing Ambition Meet Delivery Challenges?
Housing, planning and development remain at the heart of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s political agenda…
Even before Andy Burnham was named as Keir Starmer’s successor, he spoke about committing to deliver the “biggest council house building programme since the post-war period”, generating significant debate across the construction and property sectors.
Burnham has argued that housing should be treated as national infrastructure, placing affordable and council housing at the centre of economic growth, health outcomes and social mobility. The Chartered Institute of Housing welcomed this approach, noting that more than 1.3 million households remain on waiting lists and that increasing the supply of genuinely affordable homes is essential to tackling homelessness and reducing pressure on the private rented sector.
However, the consensus across local government and the housing sector is that ambition alone will not be enough. Recent analysis from Inside Housing highlights that councils require greater borrowing flexibility, long-term funding certainty, access to affordable land, additional planning capacity and a skilled construction workforce, if large-scale council housebuilding is to become a reality. These themes closely mirror the industry’s earlier calls for sustained investment and planning reform.
Planning Reform and Local Powers
Planning reform is equally central to Burnham’s agenda. Greater devolution of planning powers to metro mayors is intended to speed up decision-making and better align housing delivery with local infrastructure and economic priorities. However, recent research warns that devolution alone will not automatically increase housing delivery unless governance, funding and accountability arrangements are carefully designed.
Alongside wider reforms, Burnham is also considering extending the use of Article 4 Directions to restrict permitted development rights for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), giving local authorities greater control over conversions where communities believe concentrations of HMOs are placing pressure on neighbourhoods.
Recent announcements suggest the government’s direction of travel remains firmly towards devolved decision-making. Burnham has pledged additional powers for regional mayors, with housing, planning and regeneration sitting alongside transport and skills as key priorities. While the vision has been broadly welcomed, the coming months will determine whether reforms to planning, funding and local authority powers are sufficient to translate political ambition into the scale of housing delivery the UK continues to require.
If you would like to discuss your own new project with us, or just find out more about what we do, please continue to browse the website or drop us an email to: info@apexplanning.co.uk without obligation.