Gove commits to building 300,000 homes a year

Speaking to the BBC, housing secretary Michael Gove has said the government is committed to building 300,000 homes a year by the mid 2020s.

The commitment was part of the manifesto pledge, but former prime minister Liz Truss said she wanted to scrap "Stalinist" housing targets.

Gove claimed he wants to build more homes for ownership and rent, though meeting the target would be difficult due to economic circumstances.

He said: "We need to be straight with people: the cost of materials has increased because of the problems with global supply chains and also a very tight labour market means that the capacity to build those homes at the rate we want is constrained."

He also said that new developments should have the consent of local communities.

Many have described the current situation as a housing crisis, with long waiting lists for council houses and many living in sub-standard conditions.

In 2017, chancellor Phillip Hammond outlined the target of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid 2020s and this was recommitted to in the 2019 manifesto.

Boris Johnson attempted to increase building, by forcing councils to accept new housing developments in certain areas. Though this was stopped after opposition from his own MPs.

Also, earlier this year, former housing secretary Robert Jenrick said that the government would "miss their 300,000-homes-a-year manifesto pledge by a country mile".

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