Trap lies in way of building blueprint
THE Government’s overhaul of planning is vital to fast-track new housing.
The Sun has long argued for a bonfire of the bureaucratic red tape that has been choking any opportunity to build homes. But tearing up planning rules is only the start.
Sir Keir Starmer’s admirably ambitious target to build 1.5 million homes by 2029 requires an eye-watering amount of resources.
Builders estimate that 300,000 new construction workers will have to be hired.
They say that 900 homes a day will need to be built — more than one every two minutes.
How will Sir Keir do that without turning on the tap of yet more migrant labour?
Foreign workers would also need homes to live in, piling yet more pressure on housing stock and driving up already sky-high prices.
One problem is our woeful training of homegrown talent. The apprentice scheme needs a rocket under it to attract and prepare many more young Brits for construction roles.
For too long it has been abused by firms and is not fit for purpose.
At the same time, the Government must force more of the workshy off their sofas and into training.
Even then it will take years before skilled tradespeople will be ready.
But the clock is ticking for Sir Keir.
Unless he rapidly fixes this end of the mess his housing plans will fall down on him like a ton of bricks.
Keir’s trump cards
IT is great to see Prince William gradually emerging as Britain’s head of state in waiting.
Yesterday he showed maturity and poise when representing Britain and meeting incoming US President Donald Trump at the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral.
The Prince was due to stress the importance of the Special Relationship between the US and Britain.
The message could hardly be more timely given the uncertainty around Mr Trump’s foreign and trade policies.
King Charles will, of course, play the key role as monarch in any state visit by the US President.
A perfect opportunity for this will fall when Mr Trump travels to a Nato summit in the Hague in June.
Yet the Prince’s growing confidence in filling in for his father on such sensitive occasions is reassuring.
Sir Keir’s own Cabinet ministers have an embarrassing past history of criticising Mr Trump.
So the PM must count himself lucky he has such excellent royal ambassadors for Britain on his side.
