John Stewart

John Stewart

John Stewart is Director of Economic Affairs at the Home Builders Federation (HBF)., HBF

John Stewart is Director of Economic Affairs at the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

His policy responsibilities include the economy, the housing and mortgage markets, mortgage regulation, NewBuy, demographic trends, housing supply, Affordable Housing, new home valuation, the private rented sector, customer satisfaction and the industry's Consumer Code, the Cumulative Impact of Regulation on viability and supply and Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) initiatives (FirstBuy, Get Britain Building, public land disposal). He maintains close contact with a wide range of housing experts, including officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), the HCA, HM Treasury and the Bank of England.

Before joining HBF in 2003 he was an independent housing consultant for over ten years, and previously divisional Sales & Marketing Director for house builder Wates. His publications included a monthly Viewpoint column in Housebuilder and Building a Crisis (2002) which highlighted the growing housing supply crisis in England and began to consider its social and economic consequences.

He has an MA in English from Auckland University and an MSc in Economics from Birkbeck College, London.

Half a glass

Nov. 1, 2008

The government’s housing targets and its policy aspirations for infrastructure funding, affordable housing, zero carbon, Lifetime Homes, etc. were built on rising land values. A fundamental rethink is now required

The higher they rise

Oct. 1, 2008

International comparisons show the housing markets of Ireland, the UK and Spain were especially vulnerable to any external economic shock. But no one anticipated this shock would be as serious as a global credit crunch

Painful economic adjustments

Sept. 1, 2008

The Bank of England is trying to bring inflation under control at the same time as the British economy is going through several painful economic adjustments

John Stewart - Falling off a cliff

Aug. 1, 2008

The homebuilding industry is in a state of shock at the speed and depth of the housing market downturn. Urgent measures are needed to avoid serious damage to the wider economy John Stewart John

John Stewart’s viewpoint - New home crunch

June 1, 2008

Housebuilders are having to weather the storm cooked up by the credit crunch and MPC’s attempts to curtail inflation, whilst lenders refuse to lend and offices are shut down

John Stewart’s Viewpoint

May 1, 2008

While the results of the third annual customer satisfaction survey show three quarters of respondents would recommend their builder to a friend, defects and after sales service needs to be improved

John Stewart’s viewpoint

April 1, 2008

The Treasury has predicted an easing of the credit crisis in the second half of the year but this may prove overly optimistic; a housing market recovery could be some way off

John Stewart’s viewpoint

March 1, 2008

If the government’s wishes industry to meet it housing numbers target, it must ease the taxation burden on developers

John Stewart’s Viewpoint - New landscape will emerge

Feb. 1, 2008

Housebuilders went into 2008 battening down the hatches to weather what they hoped would be a brief squall. But the squall looks set to change the landscape of the industry

John Stewart’s Viewpoint

Dec. 1, 2007

While the market slowdown may affect build rates in the short term,it is unlikely to hamper the achievement of the government\'s longer term 2016 targets