The government must carry out a range of measures to boost finance in order to overcome the country's housing shortage, according to the Communities and Local Government Committee.<br> <br> A new report, Financing of new housing supply, outlines four key areas which could combine to help provide the finance needed to kickstart the market:<br> <br> large scale investment from institutions and pension funds changes to the financing of housing associations greater financial flexibility for local authorities new models of housing delivery, including self build <br> Clive Betts, CLG Committee's chair, said that "for decades" successive governments had failed to deliver the number of homes needed, with the financial crisis compounding the problem.<br> <br> "The government's Housing Strategy has made a useful start and we hope many of its measures will provide a stimulus over the short to medium term. But we need more action if we are to see a significant long term improvement in housing supply."