<p>The government will do “everything it can” to reach its long-led 300,000 homes target, but there are challenges to achieving it, according to levelling up secretary Michael Gove.</p> <p><span>Appearing before</span> the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee meeting, Gove confirmed that the homebuilding target remained in place. But he added: “Will we meet it? We’ll do everything we can. But there are a number of factors that have made it more difficult.”</p> <p>He added that pre-pandemic, the industry had achieved a “record” 244,000 completions. But there were now “a number of economic headwinds that have made life more difficult.” He was loath to use the word “crisis” in describing the housing shortage, but “we do have a significant housing challenge in this country and an historic lack of supply compared to our level of population growth.”</p> <p>The levelling up secretary appeared alongside housing minister Stuart Andrew and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ director of planning Simon Gallagher. They were questioned on the Levelling Up Bill, Building Safety and last week’s announcement on <a href="http://www.house-builder.co.uk/news/pm-confirms-right-buy-extension">extending Right to Buy to housing association tenants</a>.</p> <p>On the latter, Gove said housing associations would be “seduced” into participating in the programme. …