Labour have very little to offer on this vital question, but that matters little when the Conservatives have consistently failed to deliver an effective and sustained increase in housing supply.
Ill-conceived policies, such as the new legal maxima on window sizes, alienate voters and make the challenge of addressing this urgent public health concern that much more difficult. There are much easer and more effective solutions.
Meaningful fiscal devolution within England would face huge opposition from Labour councils; anything else would not give town halls the incentive to undertake difficult reforms.
The Opposition currently talks a big game on devolution and planning reform. But for their actions to meet the scale of the challenge, the prize, and their own rhetoric, they will need a new approach.
A simple change in the Finance Bill could extend our world-leading pro-investment regime for plant and machinery to investment in new brownfield housing, and spur development in many sites currently sitting idle.
Home ownership is a fundamental cornerstone of conservatism, and everyone must be given the opportunity to reach this life milestone through hard work and determination.
There is some truth to the claim that there has been a big shift in power away from Parliament and a narrowing of politics – but in the British constitution, a government with a majority could fix that.
Conservatives must realise that there are an awful lot of people who might share their revulsion at the excesses of hyper-liberal politics but are still not going to vote Tory. We’re fed up of our stagnant economy.
According to YouGov, the Party commands a plurality of voters only among the over 70s. As far as voting intention is concerned, the Conservative Party is literally dying on its feet.
The latest report from Centre for Cities highlights how an impressive record on employment has been undermined by poor productivity, stagnant wages, and the rising cost of housing.
It is far cheaper and more effective to introduce resilience measures during construction, rather than relying on expensive retro-fitting once the damage has been done.
Conservatives in other countries have managed to make housing a key plank of a winning platform. Our party still has a chance to do the same.
Yesterday’s announcements comprise a Heath Robinson machine of carrots, sticks, guidelines, exemptions, and assessments – and even he doesn’t predict they will deliver anything like the numbers required.
This has become an increasingly important issue for voters – especially swing voters and for none more so than the young, amongst whom housing now competes with the economy as one of the single most important issues.