Clive Feeney, LHC Group managing director, examines the pledges made in the new government’s first King’s Speech and how they could impact UK construction
The King’s Speech marks an important moment in any government as it sets its agenda for the next parliamentary period. For Labour, it represents their first opportunity to deliver change after a lengthy period in opposition. It was always expected that some big announcements would be made.
I was keeping an eye out for measures that would impact construction and while detail in the speech was broadbrush, the direction of travel is now clear –particularly when combined with Labour’s manifesto pledges.
Affordable housing…social value… devolution of power to the regions. Big themes and ambitious goals.
Empowering the regions
New legislation will hand the power back to local leaders who know what is best for their areas and communities. In theory, this will create solutions more targeted to local needs, a core factor in delivering projects with tangible social impact.
This includes housing. Labour’s pledge to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation has the potential to change thousands of lives for the better.
The target is ambitious; 1.5m homes will be a big ask. Local authorities and housing associations will need help when it comes to procuring the services of contractors so that they can get spades in the ground as quickly as possible.
It’s an area that we’re well placed to serve, with many frameworks already in place, delivered via regional business units that understand the communities that they are active in. These frameworks are not all about new build either. And, while retrofit related policies were absent from the speech, it is imperative that we continue to improve our existing housing stock if we’re going to improve living conditions and reduce energy consumption on the route to net zero.
Keeping up with the rules
The government has also promised to extend the provisions within Awaab’s Law to private renters. Introduced after the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, who died from exposure to mould at his socially rented home in 2020, the new Decent Homes Standard makes it easier for occupiers to request landlord action to address hazards and make homes safe.
Landlords will need a robust and responsive supply chain if they are going to be able to meet the response timescales stipulated within the legislation.
Frameworks can help here too. By design, they are created to allow clients to access approved supply chains quickly that have been vetted when it comes to expertise and price, taking a huge amount of risk out of the process.
Social value promises in the King’s Speech are supported by LHC’s ambitions
The thing that excites me most about Labour’s ambitions relates to our core purpose at LHC. Labour’s agenda seems focused on putting social value front and centre of everything it does, and it’s what we’ve done too. Our mission is to improve lives and places through quality procurement solutions, and we’ve taken large strides forward with this within the last year.
That includes launching our dedicated social value strategy and partnering with housing charity HACT to develop robust measures so that we can talk about the tangible impact that has been delivered through projects delivered via our frameworks.
We’re in a new political era now, with a new government. Let’s hope that these promises are delivered and we can see a new era for our housing too.
