Labour's New Housing and Energy Pledges

Housing Targets

1. Affordable Housing: Labour’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced plans to build 300,000 new homes annually, with more decision-making powers to be passed onto local communities. They are pushing for more ‘support’ for SME developers to begin building again and are aiming for an increase in affordable and council housing by making the Affordable Housing Programme more flexible.

2. Green Belt Protection: To balance housing expansion, Labour will prioritize building on brownfield sites and converting unused commercial properties, protecting green belt land from development. Labour announced a release of lower quality ‘grey belt’ land with ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature. This increases the opportunities for housing developments, but the Conservatives say it ignores the concerns of locals.

3. Planning: 300 new planners are to be recruited to accelerate the planning process, with previously rejected planning applications to be reviewed.

Energy Targets

1. Net-Zero by 2050: Labour have announced their target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 by focusing on decarbonizing the energy sector and investing in green technologies.

2. Great British Energy: Labour are pledging to create a new, public-owned energy production company named Great British Energy which will work alongside private sector suppliers and focus on electricity generation. This would include gas no longer being used to heat homes, but rather electric heat pumps, which will affect building costs.

3. Clean Power by 2030: Labour are pushing for a new Energy Independence Act to become enacted into law, which will double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind to achieve zero-carbon power by 2030.

These housing and energy targets reflect a bold vision for the UK’s future, emphasizing sustainability, affordability, and innovation. The collaboration between the government, private sector, and communities will be crucial to achieving these goals. Do you think these pledges are a help or a hinderance? Do you think it is impossible to achieve them in the timeframes set out? Tell us on our LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram page – we would love to hear from you!

In the meantime, we can assist you through these changes as they will likely affect the energy assessments that you will require. We will update you on changes as and when they happen; keep a lookout for our blogs or check out our free bespoke CPDs to learn more about how these changes might affect you.