Morning Briefing: what will the Spending Review offer the housing sector?

Much of the pre-review rhetoric has focused on health, education and police spending – raising fears that housing may see cuts. The Financial Times has reported that “housing and defence are among those likely to face a tough settlement”.

The Mail Online’s This is Money pages predict some changes to stamp duty: perhaps lifting the current £250,000 limit to £500,000.

In The Guardian the prediction is that the promises on schools, health and police will cost around £6bn – limiting spending elsewhere.

Sky News meanwhile predicts boosted spending for diplomacy and defence to bolster the UK’s global standing post Brexit – but no mention whatsoever of housing. Boosted defence spending is also predicted in Politics Homes and other outlets – most of which carry no mention of housing.

All of the above tempts the conclusion that housing will be sidelined in this review, but it may be best to wait until Mr Javid opens the red box before leaping to conclusions. There have been many surprises before. Stay tuned to Inside Housing this week to stay informed.

In other news, the government used the weekend to make a minor announcement about the transparency of Section 106 spending: with local authorities now required to declare how they spend builders’ cash contributions.

Elsewhere, there are familiar fears about the housing market as the threat of a no-deal Brexit looms ever larger. The Evening Standard reports on figures from Nationwide showing that house prices grew by less than 1% for the ninth month in succession. Meanwhile, KPMG warns of a 6% fall nationwide if the country crashes out without a deal.

In local news, the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard reports on plans to encourage private landlords to let to people at risk of homelessness in a bid to reduce its waiting list for new homes.