David Cameron’s housebuilding illusion

When ministers come up with a bright idea to promote home ownership, it’s usually time to worry. David Cameron has written for the Mail on Sunday today and it says that, on Thursday, he will detail yet more policies to help the housebuilding industry. CoffeeHousers will be familiar with the argument: England needs 230,000 extra homes a year to meet demand but only 124,000 homes were completed last year.  This is holding back the recovery. The market has failed, so government must step in. In his article, the Prime Minister presents Nimbys as the main problem and takes aim at them.

‘A key part of recovery is building the houses our people need, but a familiar cry goes up: ‘Yes, we want more housing; but no to every development – and not in my back yard.’ The nations we’re competing against don’t stand for this kind of paralysis and neither must we.