Commenting
on day one of the new Conservative government, Nick Boulton, chief executive

of
the Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) said:

“Throughout
the election campaign, a consistent need raised by people in all communities
across the country was the need for more, and better, housing. The
Conservatives pledged to tackle that, promising measures to help first-time
buyers and boost new housebuilding, targeting the delivery of at least a
million more new homes over the next five years. While lower than their
previous target from 2017, which had been to build 300,000 homes a year by the
mid-2020s, it is probably more realistic given the severe skills shortages in
the sector. What matters now is delivery on those promises.

“Housebuilding
fulfils a basic social and public need, but also stimulates a vital supply
chain of goods, skills and materials to act as a multiplier across the economy.
While we all recognise that Brexit will once again dominate the agenda next
year, we are urging the new government to also use its first 100 days to tackle
the housing crisis through rapid planning reforms, support for more affordable
housing development via local councils, fast progress with the regulatory
changes on fire safety, and continued support for high quality MMC. In
particular, we will also continue to push for major new housebuilding
programmes in 2020 to be tied to the UK’s zero carbon targets. The timber
supply chain in construction is ready and waiting to support this, solving problems
across multiple policy areas.

“As
a member of the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI), the TRA assisted the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Timber Industries and helped it to
quantify the benefits of timber in construction, including lowering carbon
emissions, speeding up delivery, improving quality and creating local jobs.

“The
APPG
report published earlier this year clearly identifies ways in which we can
help housebuilding happen by ensuring greater productivity, higher quality and
better performance standards in buildings, more job opportunities and stronger
local economic growth, all while improving the sustainability of housing in the
UK with a reduced carbon footprint. Like other organisations within the CTI, we
will be taking this report to the newly elected MPs and to local authorities to
show how they can improve their housing delivery and housing stock in their own
communities.�