The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (pictured) has written to local authority leaders, Metro Mayors and chief executives, outlining the Government’s plan to build the promised 1.5 million homes before the end of the current Parliamentary term.
Rayner outlined the Government’s plans to reform housing policy and addressed what she described as a “acute and entrenched housing crisis.”
She wrote: “The average new home is out of reach for the average worker, housing costs consume a third of private renters’ income, and the number of children in temporary accommodation now stands at a historic high of nearly 160,000.
“The Government has responded with the urgency this demands.”
She also discussed the recent publication of a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), marking a significant step towards achieving these goals.
The reforms introduced by the Labour Government aim to boost housing supply, modernise Green Belt policy, and enhance local planning capabilities, alongside other measures to address affordability pressures.
Rayner explained: “This will have the effect of altering the distribution, increasing numbers in those places facing the most acute affordability pressures while maintaining ambitious targets across the whole of the country.”
The framework introduced a tiered approach to land use, prioritising brownfield and ‘grey belt’ land – underutilised areas within the Green Belt – before considering higher-value green spaces for development.
Rayner called the changes a “modernised Green Belt policy, fit for the 21st century.”
Rayner outlined the ‘golden rules’ that stipulate housing on Green Belt land must deliver high levels of affordable housing, local infrastructure, and accessible public green space.
Feedback from consultations prompted the Government to revise its initial proposal for a fixed 50% affordable housing requirement.
Instead, the Government will introduce a 15% premium on existing requirements, capped at 50%.
Acknowledging the pressure these reforms will place on councils, Rayner committed to increasing support for local planning authorities.
“The Government remains committed to enhancing the capacity and capability of local planning authorities,” she wrote.
She confirmed that over £14m in grant funding will be provided to help councils revise local plans and conduct Green Belt reviews.
In addition, Rayner reiterated the Government’s focus on delivering more affordable housing, particularly Social Rent homes.
As part of the reforms, Homes England will launch a clearing service to address delays in the delivery of Section 106 affordable housing.
Rayner said: “Reflecting the absolute priority we attach to delivering Social Rent homes, we are amending the definition of Affordable Housing to carve it out as a separate category.”
The Deputy Prime Minister also outlined measures to ensure that planning permissions translate into actual homes.
Developers will be required to commit to ‘build-out trajectories’ and report on progress.
She said: “Where that does not happen, authorities will be empowered to hold them to account – including through refusing applications from developers with a poor record of delivery.”
The NPPF also includes provisions to support infrastructure for health, education, and modern industries such as laboratories and gigafactories.
The revised framework strengthens commitments to combat climate change, with measures to support renewable energy projects and improve flood risk planning.
Finally, Rayner stressed the importance of partnership between central and local government, as well as the private sector, to achieve these ambitious goals.
She concluded: “It is only by working together with local and regional leaders that we will be able to tackle our national housing emergency and generate the sustained sustainable economic growth needed to improve the prosperity of our country and the living standards of working people.”
