Supply solutions needed to be at the heart of the Housing Bill, Jeremy Blackburn, RICS Head of Policy, said “Government is clearly putting Housing at the heart of its agenda but ‘Right to Buy’, Starter Homes and Brownfield together still fall short of a comprehensive supply strategy to the housing crisis. There is a huge amount of detail required on ‘Right to Buy’ if Housing Associations and the people who need them are not to be disadvantaged.
Devolved powers to English cities offers the opportunity for property-led growth, but guidance on how LEPs and metro mayors will work together must be made clear in a prospectus which outlines the available powers and funding
Establishing a Northern Powerhouse will depend heavily on committed infrastructure spend – particularly in rail and broadband – if it is to unleash its economic potential. HS2 and these measures need to attract industrial occupiers to the north. 2017 is too late for an EU referendum if the property sector is to maintain levels of inward investment. We also need to make the new settlements in Scotland and Wales work and not get mired in five years’ of constitutional debate.
Finally, we have called for property tax certainty, not a tax lock. Freezes on some taxes create uncertainties about others, which is why clarity on property tax will is urgent and will be essential in Chancellor’s July Budget.”
