Budget 2020: The G15 responds

Budget 2020: The G15 responds

  • 11 March 2020

Here what the G15 had to say about the housing announcements from the budget on 11 March 2020.

Levelling up

The G15 welcomes the government’s plans to boost economic activity in all regions across the UK. As long-term investors in place and quality, our members are ambitious to support housing delivery across London and in all other areas of the country to maximise regional opportunities for growth.

Housing infrastructure fund

We welcome the government’s announcement to expand the housing infrastructure fund. Investment in the right infrastructure is crucial to unlocking land to build more homes and help new and existing communities to thrive. G15 members are committed to working closely with our local authority partners to support their growth plans and increase the delivery of new affordable homes in the areas that need them most.

Homelessness

The G15 welcomes the new funding package to help end homelessness. To have the biggest impact, this needs to be part of a strategic and joined up approach across the sector to tackle the causes of homelessness and supporting the most vulnerable people in our society. Our members are committed to working with our local authority and community sector partners to address these complex issues.

Additional stamp duty for overseas buyers

All G15 members are signed up to the Mayor of London’s ‘First Dibs’ scheme to prioritise marketing of new homes to Londoners. This additional incentive should help ensure that London's homes are bought by people who need them.

Wider availability of building safety fund

The G15 welcomes government’s announcement to make available funding for the remediation of all types of unsafe cladding. This will give some peace of mind to the thousands of leaseholders whose lives have been put on hold, unable to sell or remortgage, because their buildings have potentially unsafe cladding. We need to ensure housing associations can continue to invest in building new homes. We will continue to work collaboratively with government to improve building safety and ensure that people can feel safe in their homes, and also to find a solution which will help to unstick the mortgage market.

Expansion of AHP

The G15 welcomes the confirmation that the affordable homes programme will be expanded beyond 2021. This will give G15 members the certainty and confidence they need to continue building the thousands of affordable homes our country so desperately needs.