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Housing and Urban Regeneration Blogs
The government’s right-to-buy targets are achievable – if the politics are possible
Chris Walker, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing & Planning, examines the feasibility of the government’s one-for-one replacement pledge on expensive social houses sold to fund new affordable homes. Chris points out that the numbers add up, although it remains to be seen whether replacements will occur at the national, local or regional level.
Think of a number
Chris Walker, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing & Planning, looks at the various numbers put around for how many new affordable homes need to built a year. Chris argues that, accepting the 240,000 new homes a year needed as set out in the Barker Review, that 40,000 of those new homes should be affordable.
Housing is key to a Conservative vision for working people
Chris Walker, Head of Housing and Planning, discusses the merits of the Conservatives’ Right to Buy policy, explains that policies promoting home ownership should apply to people from all income brackets, and argues that the Right to Buy policy will increase the nation’s overall housing supply.
The public supports selling off most expensive council properties
Chris Walker, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing & Planning, examines the results of polling commissioned by Policy Exchange on how far the public support the Conservatives’ proposed plans to force councils to sell off expensive social housing and use the proceeds to build more affordable homes.
Budget 2015: Policy Exchange Analysis
Policy Exchange responds to announcements in Budget 2015 in the areas of government spending, capital ownership, housing and energy policy.
Ramp up the number of market homes built to deal with the housing crisis
Chris Walker, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing & Planning, sets out why housing associations are key to helpin solve the housing crisis. Already delivering nearly half the new homes being built each year – and almost all of the social homes – giving them a shot in the arm by enabling them to build more market homes would boost the number of homes being built each year.
Chris Walker: How to free housing associations to build more homes
To mark the release of our latest report, Freeing Housing Associations, Chris Walker, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing and Planning, sets out how numerous rules and regulations are hindering housing associations from doubling the number of new homes they build each year from 50,000 to 100,000.
On housing, the ConHome manifesto offers the right diagnosis – but not all of the right answers
Chris Walker, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing and Planning, provides a critique of the housing section of ConservativeHome’s recently published manifesto. Chris backs the manifesto’s diagnosis that Britain’s housing crisis is one of affordability, but argues that increasing housing supply is the only way to tackle this.
Why rent controls are not the answer
Chris Walker, Policy Exchange’s Head of Housing, Planning and Urban Policy, argues that Labour’s decision to impose rent controls won’t solve our housing crisis, because it doesn’t deal with the root of the problem: a lack of supply in the housing market. Chris stresses that we need to build double the amount of houses to match increasing demand.
Budget 2014: how Osborne can reduce Labour’s poll lead on living standards
Nick Faith, Policy Exchange’s Director of Communications, writes saying that the Chancellor needs to make it clear how national policy on jobs, housing and taxes will improve voters’ personal situations.
