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Former Conservative Prime Minister Ken Clark has argued that Rishi Sunak should start building on the Greenbelt after official figures showed housing construction continued to fall short of demand.
Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday showed 205,340 new homes completed in 2021/22, well short of the 300,000 a year promised in the Conservatives manifesto.
The figure comes just a day after the latest net immigration data showed that about 600,000 more people are entering the country than leaving, putting further pressure on an already overheated housing market. was done.
The situation has prompted Conservative tycoon Lord Clark to warn the prime minister that unpopular decisions must be made to resolve the current crisis.
When asked if the national housing building target, which had to be scrapped to avoid a toxic backbench rebellion, should be revived, Conservative Sunak said: “300,000 is the bare minimum.” .
He argued that the Greenbelt was “a very worthwhile idea in principle” but now consists of “lines on maps from many years ago.”
“It shouldn’t be something we can’t build on most of what we have now, if we have the right greenbelt,” said Lord Clarke.
In an interview with Times Radio, the veteran Conservative party said Mr Sunak needed to be bolder in his policies.
“Most of the tough decisions that have to be made in government are never popular and won’t get votes quickly,” he said. “All the policies I’ve been implementing over the years have been [Margaret] Thatcher and I were there from start to finish, always unpopular, and I was a pretty hated figure. We must do what is necessary for the national interest. “
He therefore called on the government to reform the planning system to facilitate construction. “We urgently need to tackle the absurd planning system and legalism and all that takes years of costly toil just to build a house on ordinary farmland,” he said. rice field.
Mr. Sunak has refused to build houses in the green belt, causing bitter divisions within his party.
Lord Clarke’s comments echo those of Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, who last week pledged to allow parliament to build in greenbelts where applicable to revitalize housing construction in the UK. ing.
Labor is expected to undertake further reforms of the planning system in the coming months to make it more “predictable and efficient”.
Officials have privately acknowledged the need for a significant increase in housing construction, but have steadfastly refused to oppose housing development that does not meet high design standards.
