Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference, secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Simon Clarke, said the department was “hitting the ground running”.
Clarke said he was “steadfastly committed to increasing homeownership” adding: “Getting more people on the housing ladder, to give people security, a stake in society, and somewhere to call their own, is a fundamentally conservative goal.
“In the coming weeks, I will be fleshing out how we intend to get more homes on the market, and improve access to those homes.”
He said this would build on recent measures which made changes to the “stamp duty burden”. He also added that he wanted to build more houses in the right way, by prioritising the acceleration of the development of brownfield sites and through investment zones.
Investment zones
Clarke said the government’s proposed investment zones would provide some of these new homes and get more people on the property ladder.
Announced in the mini Budget last month, the government has earmarked certain local authorities as investment zones where stamp duty and business rates will be exempted.
Applications for the scheme opened this week which Clarke said had received “fantastic” feedback so far.
“Investment zones are the first major step that we have taken in this new look government to deliver on our promise to level up in a Conservative way,” he added.
Although the government has said which areas it wants to turn into investment zones, Clarke said if local people decided against them then “that will be the final word”.
Leaseholder protection
Clarke said he would “finish what his predecessors started” when it came to protecting leaseholders and making buildings safe.
He added: “I will push on with pragmatic, common sense reform that protects leaseholders, facilitates an operable insurance industry and ensures we never have to face a tragedy like Grenfell again.
“That is why I am resolved to fix the cladding issue as soon as possible.”
