Housing secretary “doubles down” on housebuilding plans at industry roundtable

The new housing secretary Steve Reed has issued a “call to arms” to key developers and housebuilders, with Reed pledging to “double down” on the government’s plans for housebuilding as he and housing minister Matthew Pennycook met key members of the industry, including the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and large housebuilders.

At a roundtable, housebuilders including Barratt Redrow, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and the Hill Group discussed issues with Reed and Pennycook including planning reforms, how the government can help remove barriers to building and what it can do to “get spades in the ground quicker”, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

MHCLG also said that that during the meeting, Reed and Pennycook committed to working in partnership with industry leaders to increase housebuilding, focusing on removing the remaining barriers, including planning practices “that stand in the way of building 1.5 million homes in this parliament”.

Reed said he wanted to “build, baby, build, so we can put the key to a decent home into the hands of every single family that needs it”.

He added: “We are doubling down on our plans to unleash one of the biggest eras of building in …