Changes To Housing Targets

In recent weeks housing secretary Michael Gove struck a deal with senior MPs in his party, which would allow for councils to build fewer homes and to not be restricted by national targets. This is available as long as a council can prove that building new houses would significantly change an area. Seeing less houses built locally initially will also impact the demand for housing on a national scale as well. One of the most important things to remember is that contractors are also bound to offer affordable housing and by dropping the targets around housing overall in local areas, this will mean less affordable housing for people born and bred in these smaller or traditionally more expensive locations.

How Do Changes In Housing Targets Affect You

It’s expected that many SME building firms will no longer focus on building new properties, as it will be much harder for them to gain permission from local councils to do so. You might be wondering how this affects the construction industry? Well the answer is simple, it’s less jobs for people both locally and nationally, as the less we build, the less we employ. One of the things about building developments is they go on for months and years in some cases, ensuring stable employment for construction workers.

But this won’t just affect SMEs either, this also has a knock on effect to sub-contractors who work for these firms such as plumbers or electricians. And further to this, it will also make it harder for national companies to achieve their building targets as well. National companies will put all focus on towns or cities where it is easier to achieve planning permission. This will start to see a divide in towns and villages, some will find it more difficult to grow, as councils will always want to keep that traditional feel about this.

However, this once again causes the age old thing of younger people moving away from the areas they grow up in due to a lack of employment opportunities or the ability to not buy a house in the local area. So, if you were wondering how changes in housing targets affect the construction industry or yourself, then you only have to see above why these changes are such a bad thing. If the changes do come into force, then it’s vital you consider the impact on local people when housing applications are submitted in your area.

How It Affects Construction Workers

The lack of growth will obviously impact the ability for people to find work in the construction industry, unless it is with large building firms. This naturally means the jobs market for the construction industry will become much more competitive, so looking at additional training such as NEBOSH and IOSH courses will help you to give you the edge over your competition. For more information on our courses or to sign up for a course with us, then be sure to get in touch today.