Homes for the South West, a coalition of 12 leading housing associations, brought together MPs, Peers, council leaders and Housing Minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage this week to discuss the urgent need for more affordable housing across the region.
Sponsored by Bristol North East MP Damien Egan, the Homes for the South West parliamentary reception highlighted the growing housing crisis in the South West, where house prices have risen 400% over the past 25 years, while median wages have increased by just 83%.
Homes for the South West members have already delivered 21,678 new homes over the past five years and have 18,546 more in the pipeline for the next five years. However, with the right policy environment and investment, they could build 32,712 new homes by 2029, helping to meet growing demand and support economic growth in the region.
Speaking at the event, Louise Swain, Chair of Homes for the South West, outlined how the organisation’s policy advocacy is delivering results, and welcomed the Government’s commitment to several Homes for the South West recommendations, including:
- Committing to introducing a Ten-Year Infrastructure Strategy, expected alongside the Spending Review, which will be vital for unlocking development and driving skills in the built environment sector.
- Putting a presumption in favour of sustainable development at the heart of the National Planning Policy Framework.
- Committing to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure it provides necessary homes and infrastructure. #
Despite these positive steps, Homes for the South West made clear that there is more to be done to address the scale of the housing crisis in the region. The organisation called for greater clarity on the next iteration of the Affordable Homes Programme, set out a new approach for how the disposal of public land could help drive the delivery of new homes, and called on the Government to use the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill to accelerate housing delivery.
Speaking at the event, Louise Swain said:
“We are encouraged that the Government has listened to many of our calls for action. Our engagement with ministers and MPs is helping to shape real policy change and I was delighted that Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the Housing Minister in the Lords, attended our reception. But there is still more to do. With the right policies in place, our members could build over 14,000 additional homes in the next five years.
Our parliamentary reception was about working together with MPs, Peers, and local leaders to keep up the momentum and ensure the South West gets the new affordable homes it desperately needs.”
Damien Egan, Member of Parliament for Bristol North East, said:
“I welcome the work of Homes for South West, the leading voice for affordable housing in our region. They have sent a clear message: despite already owning a quarter of a million homes, housing half a million people, and contributing over a billion pounds to our local economy, they want to do more—and so do we. With a national target to build 1.5 million homes, their manifesto provides a roadmap that looks beyond the political cycle to tackle the unique housing challenges we face in the South West, from high prices and demand to the impact of second homes in Devon and Cornwall.”
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