{"id":4076,"date":"2025-09-30T23:02:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T23:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?p=4076"},"modified":"2025-09-30T23:02:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T23:02:28","slug":"labours-new-towns-policy-attracts-cynical-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?p=4076","title":{"rendered":"Labour\u2019s New Towns policy attracts cynical response"},"content":{"rendered":"

While the government\u2019s 12 new towns policy is eye-catching, Labour\u2019s overall housing policy has left the state of the private building sector in a state of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Tony Higson, managing director of Grayson, which provides building products, responded with cynicism to the recent announcement.<\/p>\n

Labour\u2019s promise of delivering 1.5 million homes over the parliament already looks out of reach, seeing as building has dropped since it\u2019s come into power, not risen.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe government\u2019s announcement of 12 new towns is eye-catching, but if you want to know the true state of the housing sector, you don\u2019t ask a politician or an economist, you ask builders and estate agents.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, skilled tradespeople are sitting idle, which tells us one thing very clearly: we are not building enough homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe private sector, which delivers more than 80% of homes, has been left in a state of deep uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\t <\/p>\n

\u201cMortgages remain out of reach for many first-time buyers, the middle classes are reluctant to move due to higher taxes and talk of new levies, landlords are leaving the market in droves, and planning changes have done little to unlock supply.<\/p>\n

\u201cEstate agents across the country will tell you that confidence has been suffocated across every group of buyers and sellers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New Towns policy is unlikely to help Labour get close to the 1.5 million target, as the stated aim is to start building by the end of the parliament.<\/p>\n

Recommended locations include those in Cheshire East, East Devon, and Central Bedfordshire. The full list of sites can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Higson added: \u201cIf this government is serious about tackling the housing crisis, it must focus on restoring confidence, supporting the private sector alongside public housing, and creating a joined-up, deliverable strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything less risks yet another broken promise and another generation locked out of home ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the government\u2019s 12 new towns policy is eye-catching, Labour\u2019s overall housing policy has left the state of the private building sector in a state of uncertainty. Tony Higson, managing director of Grayson, which provides building products, responded with cynicism to the recent announcement. Labour\u2019s promise of delivering 1.5 million homes over the parliament already […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-second-home"],"yoast_head":"\nLabour\u2019s New Towns policy attracts cynical response - Second Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/government-and-policy\/labours-new-towns-policy-attracts-cynical-response\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Labour\u2019s New Towns policy attracts cynical response - Second Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While the government\u2019s 12 new towns policy is eye-catching, Labour\u2019s overall housing policy has left the state of the private building sector in a state of uncertainty. Tony Higson, managing director of Grayson, which provides building products, responded with cynicism to the recent announcement. 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