Much talk about the “painful choices” of spending cuts and tax increases. But releasing surplus public sector land to provide a million new homes a year, for five years, offers a way out.
Those wasted assets are worth around £4 billion. They should be sold off to increase the housing supply and reduce the National Debt.
The Government’s Rent a Room Scheme enables households to earn up to £7,500 per year tax-free from letting out furnished accommodation in their homes. The threshold is too low for London.
Commonhold sounds attractive in theory, but the lesson from Scotland is that it is the wrong solution for large blocks.
If they want to continue to be funded by the taxpayer then they should agree to provide a right to buy.
The shock-absorber is a looser fiscal policy. Although the budget deficit is higher than one would like, the good news is that it is falling sharply.
The first part of a ConHome series this week on housing and planning in the wake of the Queen’s Speech.
“Get Brexit Done, Unleash Britain’s Potential” was the 2019 slogan. The first was achieved in short order. The second is yet to be delivered.
We spend a great deal of time debating the need for restrictions, not so much on Covid’s secondary casualties.
Increasing supply would mean lower prices. That would mean negative equity for recent buyers. It would still be the right choice to make.
We continue our series, putting this year’s local elections under the magnifying glass to find changes and trends.
Conservatives in the capital set out on their campaigning with a serious structural disadvantage, compared to the rest of the country.
We continue our series, putting this year’s local elections under the magnifying glass to find changes and trends.
Whole blocks of flats in London are sold off-plan to international investors, doing nothing to help Generation Rent.
Rent freezes, tax relief on mortgage interest payments, and targeted aid to pensioners all need to be on the table.