Received from: National House Building Council Staff Association
Merged into composite 09
Congress notes that:
i. access to affordable housing has been a recurring issue since the social housing sell off following the introduction of the ‘right to buy’
ii. planning applications on medium to large sites will take up to two years to be granted, exacerbating the housing issue through delays in getting new stock available to the social or private housing sector
iii. there has been a loss of 13,000 small to medium-sized building companies since the mid- 2000s affecting workers directly through lay-offs
iv. this has led to a gig economy in housebuilding, where the majority of trades are self- employed on precarious contracts
v. The new government has committed to building 1.5 million homes during the next five years but notes that targets such have these have not been achieved in many years.
Congress welcomes the commitment to easing planning delays through the creation of good jobs in planning departments but notes that 300 new jobs is not going to end the delays, and neither is it going to end the skill shortage in the construction sector.
Congress calls on the General Council and affiliates to work with the government, and across public and private sectors in:
a. training a new generation of skilled construction workers
b. work with employers in the private sector to improve the employment model, ensuring those workers have a secure future
c. collaborating with industry to achieve the delivery of the promised homes, making safe, affordable, well built, environmentally friendly housing available to all workers.
National House Building Council Staff Association