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London housing taskforce calls for investment and new construction job scheme in wake of COVID-19
Ministers must look to bring more people into the construction sector, provide financial support and invest in new technologies, such as modular building, to help the housing sector recover from the coronavirus pandemic, a City Hall-backed report has said.
The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) COVID-19 Housing Delivery Taskforce, led by deputy mayor for housing Tom Copley, warned that the construction sector’s skills crisis has been intensified by the pandemic and has outlined a range of measures that could increase jobs.
Its final report called for a “major campaign” by the government and the GLA to promote the construction sector as a career that can be considered by all, as well as investment in apprenticeships.
The taskforce, made up of senior housing figures including council and housing association representatives, also called for new post-Brexit visas for construction workers who work in London.
It cited a 2019 survey which found that 330,000 Londoners worked in construction and sector accounted for 5% of the capital’s economic output. The taskforce also noted research by Shelter and Savills which predicted that 244,000 construction jobs could be lost across the country in a year.
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The government should also embrace new methods of constriction to support businesses in expanding their operations and develop new environmentally friendly products that can help the industry work towards a zero-carbon future, according to the report.
Ahead of chancellor Rishi Sunak’s economic statement earlier this month, the taskforce called on the government to provide a £4.83bn recovery package for London to provide confidence in the short term.
It said £1.33bn of this should be used to facilitate changes of tenure in the remaining three years of the Affordable Homes Programme and £3.5bn to allow social landlords to buy unsold homes from developers.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Now we have a unique opportunity to reboot the London housing sector.
“This roadmap to recovery builds on the skills, expertise and experience we have while investing in the latest technology and training to maintain our world-leading workforce.”
Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “Investing in housing is one of the most important steps the government can take to help get the economy moving again.
“As well as being the right thing to do, putting money into new social housing always pays dividends through support for jobs, businesses and the wider economy.”
