The Redfern Review into UK housing launched

With home-ownership totals at their lowest for nearly three decades, the largest review into the housing market in recent times has been launched. The Redfern Review will investigate the key areas causing the crisis, such as housing supply, affordability for first-time buyers and planning and construction problems.

Assessment

Led by Pete Redfern, chief executive of house builder Taylor Wimpey, the review is being back by shadow housing minister John Healey MP.

Mr Redfern said that the review would be independent but still critical of policies and would take a long-term view of how to solve the situation.

Redfern said, ‘it’s not to knock party policy but to question and challenge and to say this is working really well or this isn’t working well but may do in the future. It’s pointless having the review if you’re not willing to challenge policy.’[1]

‘This is not about party politics, it affects us all,’ he continued.[1]

Homeownership 

Moving on, Redfern observed that while the review will look into homeownership, it would also be mindful of other tenures.

‘We are not trying to set a number for homeownership that we say is right and it’s not a one-way street, but it’s failing consistently and that’s not a healthy thing. One thing we’re clear on is we’re not promoting homeownership at the expense of other tenures,’ he stated.

Included alongside Redfern on the panel are Dame Kate Barker, Terrie Alafat CBE, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Andy Gray, deputy chair of the CML and Ian Mulheim, director of consulting at Oxford Economics.

John Healey MP said that, ‘The Redfern Review will take a hard look at the causes of the recent decline in home-ownership, to help bring fresh ideas to the wider public debate on how we can get to grips with this problem.’[1]

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/12138852/Government-launches-biggest-housing-review-in-more-than-a-decade.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter