How the property industry reacted to the brand new Prime Minister
There have been some pretty significant changes in the world of politics this year. With demand placed on Boris Johnson to give up his position as Prime Minister, there started to be a race between several possible options for the next Conservative leader and then, in turn, prime Minister.
The two front-runners were Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, and after two months of wondering who would win and plenty of effort put into each campaign, the decision was made, and Liz Truss was victorious.
Whatever your opinion of politics and what has happened, everyone can agree that Liz Truss has taken over this leadership at the worst possible time. With the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the rising energy costs, things are not the best that they have ever been here in the UK.
Another problem we have faced currently is the change to the housing market, which means that it makes sense that those in the property industry will be looking at this latest change and forming their thoughts on the new leader.
Some of the key thoughts of industry leaders include:
Simon Cox, managing director of Walter Cooper, said: “When it comes to housing, resolving the issues in planning needs to be one of the top items on the next PM’s agenda, and that will mean making some unpopular decisions. Truss now needs to shift her focus from pandering to the NIMBY masses and publicly turn away from previous statements made by other Conservative MPs, such as Michael Gove, regarding the so-called ‘cartel’ or face alienating the housebuilding community entirely. However, with a general election likely on the horizon, I’m doubtful these difficult choices will be put into action any time soon.
“Housing plays a major part in supporting the economy, and as we head into a predicted recession this will prove more important than ever. I’d therefore implore the new PM to work with those in the industry to provide support in promoting an ‘open for housebuilding’ agenda. Truss may have pledged her commitment to removing planning restrictions in an attempt to boost housebuilding, but in abandoning the government target of building 300,000 houses a year, will her so called ‘investment zones’ ever really come to fruition? I’m not sure, but the fact of the matter is, as prices continue to rise due to a lack of supply, something needs to be done to increase the number of houses built in this country before home ownership becomes further out of reach for all but a select few.”
Melanie Leech, chief executive at the British Property Federation, said: “We urgently need strong Government leadership after a period of drift. The new Prime Minister must address the immediate cost pressures facing businesses and families, but in parallel, there must be a clear focus on the longer-term objectives to tackle inequalities across the UK and transition to a greener, high-productivity economy.
“We look forward to working with Ms Truss to harness the power and potential of the property sector to deliver the homes, work and leisure spaces that will revitalise our town and city centres and underpin our future prosperity as a nation.”
Nick Leeming, chairman of Jackson-Stops, commented: “Stability is key for a healthy economy and housing market – I hope that Truss will put a stop to the Housing Minister merry-go-round we’ve seen over the last decade. There remains an imbalance between housing supply and demand for both buyers and tenants, so we look forward to a more normalised marketplace. We need consistent policies to achieve this.”
Allan Fuller of Allan Fuller Estate Agents, said: “It will be interesting to see how much of Liz Truss’ ‘toy-town’ economic policy statements become reality.
“A harsh winter with massive bills and escalating food price inflation must be her most immediate and pressing matter. If not sorted rapidly, homeowners with mortgages and tenants paying rent will have impossible decisions to make as to where their money goes and who they can pay.”
Time will tell what the new leadership will mean and the changes that this can bring to many aspects of our lives. But, we do know that things need to change to ensure that life is better for us all. Be that the property market, the energy crisis or anything else in between.
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