Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an early UK general election for Thursday 4 July during a rain-soaked speech outside 10 Downing Street caught many by surprise, including his own Cabinet and MPs.
With expectations of an autumn poll dashed, which many maintained could have given the Tories a better chance of closing the gap with Labour, the wider industry sees construction as being one of the main themes of the upcoming campaign.
The UK Green Building Council – which represents some of the UK’s biggest names in the built environment, including housebuilders, banks, social housing providers, local councils, developers, estates and engineering companies and universities – predicted it is “the built environment election’’.
Simon McWhirter, Deputy Chief Executive at UKGBC, said: “With the linked environmental, nature and cost of living crises; this is the most important election in a generation. Our buildings are the nexus of how we can solve many of these pressing challenges while delivering homes, offices and public buildings that are warmer, more comfortable, cheaper to run, and which tread lighter on the planet.
“This is the ‘built environment election’, and the UKGBC, with our members, have a raft of solutions that will allow a new government to deliver at pace and scale.”
RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said: “This is a pivotal moment for our country as we move into a General Election.
“As our manifesto makes clear, we urgently need decisive action to deliver a built environment that meets people’s needs, both now and in the future.
“Policies that usher in the next generation of social housing and establish a National Retrofit Strategy must be at the heart of this election campaign and delivered by the next Government. The clock is ticking – the time to act is now.
“All political parties must set out bold and comprehensive plans to deliver a sustainable built environment, using architects’ expertise, that strengthen communities and enrich people’s lives.”
Eddie Tuttle, Director of policy, external affairs and research at CIOB, said: “We look forward to the publication of the party manifestos to see what each one is proposing on matters key to the built environment sector including housing, levelling up, education and skills, sustainability and building safety.
“Our own manifesto will be published next week and between now and July 4 we will be actively contacting prospective parliamentary candidates to stress the important role our industry plays in the economy as well as in the safety and wellbeing of the communities it builds for, to ensure the next government, whoever that may be, understands how it can better support the sector to thrive.”
The National Federation of Builders said the July 4 General Election is a chance to fix Britain.
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the NFB, said: “For construction, these next six weeks are a chance to hammer home to all parties how construction has been let down, where decisions have worked and continue to support our sector and where reform is desperately needed. In the next few days, our manifesto, ‘Support Construction to Support Growth’ will launch to help the parties understand those challenges.”
Sunak names stopping of the boats, immigration going down, the next generation being smoke free, and higher growth than Germany as reasons to trust the Conservatives, but housing and construction were not mentioned.
Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insight at the NFB, added: “Housing and construction were not mentioned as one of the Prime Minister’s successes and unfortunately this is because housing and construction have been failed by this Government. If Britain is to grow sustainably, its next government needs to reform planning, understanding the commercial impacts of its decision and most importantly, talk to those they will rely on to implement their promises.”
RICS issued a statement describing it as an election “to empower a sustainable future” .
It said the coming weeks will see parties explaining how they plan to prioritise much-needed housing, deliver new infrastructure investment and support people with the cost-of-living challenges.
“This must be an election that puts the built and natural environment at its forefront,” it said. “We need ambitious but realistic plans to deliver more affordable homes and create vibrant, place-driven communities while ensuring our commitment to meeting net zero.
“Last year we launched our RICS Manifesto, Empowering a Sustainable Future, which sets out how investing in the built and natural environment today, will unlock economic and social growth across the country.
“Among our calls for parties to commit to and the next government:
- A housing delivery strategy that meets targets and creates safe, affordable, high-quality homes for owners and renters.
- Revitalising communities, unlocking growth and creating an attractive investment environment.
- Developing a low-carbon, highly skilled Britain that supports our energy security needs by investing in energy-efficient buildings, a renewable-centric national grid and sustainable infrastructure.
“The RICS manifesto provides a roadmap to create a sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future for the UK. It addresses challenges faced in the construction and real estate sectors, promotes sustainable development, and solves the skills shortage.
“RICS and its members, can support policymakers in refining their ideas into holistic policies that will work. Our public interest mandate, and our professionals expertise across the built and natural environment will prove invaluable, and we are ready to work in partnership with all political parties to realise their ambitious agenda, and to ensure a built and natural environment that works for all.”
The Structural Timber Association (STA) has welcomed the announcement of the upcoming general election, calling it a critical moment for the future of the UK’s housing policy.
Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of the STA, commented: “This is a pivotal opportunity to place sustainable housing at the top of the political agenda and we urge all political parties to seize this chance to revolutionise the way we build our homes. Housing is a crucial issue for voters across the country, but it’s essential that we underline the importance of sustainability and to continue the momentum that has been garnered by the Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap, published in December last year.
“Setting out a clear path towards the increased use of timber in construction, the Roadmap has laid the foundation for transforming our housing landscape through the integration of timber frame housing. This method of construction offers a speedy, sustainable and clean approach to meeting the current and future demands of housing – as well as utilising offsite assembly, which effectively addresses the skill shortages that are endemic within our sector.
“Increasing the use of timber in construction presents a promising solution for the incoming Government to address the pressing housing crisis and tackle net zero obligations, and it’s vital that the progress we have already made is not lost.”
Carpenter also highlighted that timber frame construction is well-positioned to deliver on multiple fronts:
- Speed: Timber frame houses can be constructed more quickly than traditional methods, ensuring timely delivery of much-needed homes.
- Sustainability: Timber is a renewable resource that significantly reduces the carbon footprint of construction projects.
- Clean construction: The offsite assembly of timber frame houses leads to less waste and disruption at building sites.
- Skill shortage solution: Modern methods of construction mitigate the impact of the current skill shortage in the construction industry.
As the election approaches, the Structural Timber Association urges all political parties to prioritise sustainable housing solutions, calling for the integration of timber frame construction within housing policies to revolutionise the way we build, ensuring a greener and more efficient future.
Stephen Teagle, Chair of The Housing Forum Board said: “With growing numbers of people homeless and priced out of a home of their own it is not surprising that housing has risen up the political agenda in recent years, and we are encouraged to hear the ambitions of all main parties to increase housebuilding and ensure more affordable homes are built.
“We urge all the political parties to put together ambitious policy proposals to unblock the planning system and to build capacity amongst housing providers and the wider sector.
“We are calling for a Housing Accelerator Fund - this year - to tackle the affordable housing backlog. This would be a £4bn fund to provide 60,000 new affordable rented homes to reduce homelessness by more than half over three years and slash expenditure on temporary accommodation."
The Housing Forum has set out the proposals we would like to see in more detail in Manifesto for Housing.
