Property sector quizzes politicians at RICS headquarters
Published 20 January 2010
On 19 January 100 property professionals had the opportunity to question housing spokespeople from the three main parties at the RICS, Building and Property Week pre-election hustings.
The hustings event, at RICS' headquarters, gave former housing and construction minister Nick Raynsford MP (standing in for CLG Minister Ian Austin MP) and Conservative and Liberal Democrat Housing Shadows Grant Shapps MP and Sarah Teather MP, the opportunity to present their key policies to the property sector, before the floor was opened for questions.
In quick fire question and answer rounds, the panel fielded questions from the audience on subjects ranging from delivering the required housing numbers within localist policies to space standards for new private housing.
Key points discussed by the panellists included:
Rt Hon Nick Raynsford (Labour) - view video
Priorities for the property sector
Government should equip the property sector to help lead the UK out of recession, while ensuring that targeting public investment at sustainable infrastructure helps to address the challenges of climate change.
Space standards in private sector housing
Introducing space standards for new private housing is not appropriate, since there is more choice and mobility for tenants and owners than in the social rented sector.
Costings of the Conservative Party's local authority incentives
The amount of funds for the council tax match funding required from Central Government based on delivering sufficient quantities of new housing is too expensive (Sarah Teather agreed with this point - Grant Shapps defended the policy as not costing any more money since the funds would be allocated from the existing local government settlement budget).
Grant Shapps (Conservative) - view video
Priorities for the property sector
The need to create a nation of homebuilders by showing communities which accept new development real improvements in their local area (funded through match funding council tax receipts for local authorities which choose to develop).
Crossrail
The Conservatives support Crossrail in principle (though this is within the context of current financial constraints and the national debt).
Reform of stamp duty
Although reform to the existing slab structure may be a good idea it was unlikely this could be paid for in the short term. However, support for new purchasers could come through raising the lower threshold for stamp duty for first time buyers to £250,000.
Space standards in the private rented sector and density targets
Temporarily relaxing space standards could allow many empty homes to be brought into use by the social housing sector. Density targets would be removed by a Conservative administration.
Sarah Teather (Liberal Democrats) - view video
Priorities for the property sector
There is a pressing need to support the construction industry to deliver more social housing, whilst addressing the issue of poor quality dwellings and landlords in the private rented sector and bringing empty homes back into use.
Section 106 and the delivery of infrastructure
As a system S.106 is broken and other ways need to be examined to pay for infrastructure associated with development - such as local housing bonds for councils to build infrastructure.
Reform of stamp duty
Supported RICS' work in recent years on reforming the existing slab structure of stamp duty.
Space standards
Agreed with Nick Raynsford regarding the differences in mobility and choice between the social and private housing and therefore did not support blanket space standards for new private homes.
For more information
Tom Pienaar
RICS Policy Project Manager
t +44 (0)20 7695 1754
e tpienaar@rics.org
More articles in the news archive. Press releases.
