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| Housing market broken, ministers say ahead of White Paper | Housing market broken, ministers say ahead of White Paper |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| England's housing market is "broken", ministers have admitted, as they unveil plans to build more affordable homes. | |
| The new housing strategy for England includes forcing councils to plan for their local housing needs and giving them powers to pressure developers to start building on land they own. | The new housing strategy for England includes forcing councils to plan for their local housing needs and giving them powers to pressure developers to start building on land they own. |
| Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said people want a decent home not a "false choice" between renting and owning. | |
| Labour accused the government of "seven years of failure" on housing. | Labour accused the government of "seven years of failure" on housing. |
| The government says at least 250,000 new homes are needed each year and local councils and developers need to "get real" to the scale of the challenge. | |
| Mr Javid will set out the details of the housing White Paper in a statement to MPs. | |
| Measures are expected to include: | |
| So-called starter homes, championed by ex-PM David Cameron, will be aimed at "households that need them most" with combined incomes of less than £80,000 or £90,000 in London. | So-called starter homes, championed by ex-PM David Cameron, will be aimed at "households that need them most" with combined incomes of less than £80,000 or £90,000 in London. |
| The government said there would be a change in focus from starter homes - which will be offered to first-time buyers at a discount - to "a wider range of affordable housing". | The government said there would be a change in focus from starter homes - which will be offered to first-time buyers at a discount - to "a wider range of affordable housing". |
| Mr Javid will say: "Walk down your local high street today and there's one sight you're almost certain to see. Young people, faces pressed against the estate agent's window, trying and failing to find a home they can afford. | Mr Javid will say: "Walk down your local high street today and there's one sight you're almost certain to see. Young people, faces pressed against the estate agent's window, trying and failing to find a home they can afford. |
| "With prices continuing to skyrocket, if we don't act now, a whole generation could be left behind. We need to do better, and that means tackling the failures at every point in the system. | "With prices continuing to skyrocket, if we don't act now, a whole generation could be left behind. We need to do better, and that means tackling the failures at every point in the system. |
| "The housing market in this country is broken and the solution means building many more houses in the places that people want to live." | "The housing market in this country is broken and the solution means building many more houses in the places that people want to live." |
| Asked if ministers were abandoning their goal of increasing home ownership - an ambition of most post-war Conservative governments - Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4's Today that the approach "shouldn't all be about ownership". | |
| "It is a false choice. The reality is we need more homes, whether to rent or buy." | |
| With house prices now eight times average earnings and the number of affordable homes being built at a 24-year low, he said the cost of housing was the "greatest barrier to social progress in Britain today". | |
| Many councils, he added, had "fudged the numbers" when it came to assessing local housing needs and this had to change. | |
| 'Change of tone' | |
| Ahead of the White Paper's release, ministers promised a "change of tone" from previous Tory policy, with a focus on people who are renting their homes. | |
| This is expected to include minimum tenancy lengths in an attempt to offer renters more security and a drive to build more homes specifically for rent. | This is expected to include minimum tenancy lengths in an attempt to offer renters more security and a drive to build more homes specifically for rent. |
| A change of focus from the "starter homes" championed by ex-PM David Cameron to "a wider range of affordable housing" is also expected. | A change of focus from the "starter homes" championed by ex-PM David Cameron to "a wider range of affordable housing" is also expected. |
| On Sunday, Housing Minister Gavin Barwell admitted the government was behind schedule on its goal of building one million new homes in England by 2020. | |
| Labour's shadow housing minister John Healey said: "The measures announced so far in Theresa May's long-promised housing white paper are feeble beyond belief. | Labour's shadow housing minister John Healey said: "The measures announced so far in Theresa May's long-promised housing white paper are feeble beyond belief. |
| "After seven years of failure and 1,000 housing announcements, the housing crisis is getting worse not better." | "After seven years of failure and 1,000 housing announcements, the housing crisis is getting worse not better." |
| Where can I afford to live? | Where can I afford to live? |