Government Should Use Queen’s Speech to Radicalise Housing, Urges ARLA and NAEA
The Government should use this week’s Queen’s Speech to radicalise the Housing Bill, urges the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA Propertymark) and the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA Propertymark).
Responding to the appointment of Alok Sharma as the new Housing Minister, the Chief Executives of both organisations, David Cox and Mark Hayward respectively, called on the Government to take the Queen’s Speech as an opportunity to radicalise housing policy.
The delayed Queen’s Speech is due to take place on Wednesday 21st June 2017, following this month’s General Election.
Cox and Hayward react to Sharma’s new position: “We would like to congratulate Alok Sharma on his appointment to Minister of State for Housing and Planning. We worked closely with the former administration to secure a number of key improvements to the industry, including for greater property transparency and more appropriate regulation through the introduction of Client Money Protection for letting agents.
“However, more can be done and the minister will have a lot in his in-tray as he arrives on his first day, as long-standing issues continue to impact the sector. We call on the minister to build upon the underwhelming recommendations contained within the Housing White Paper and take forward a series of fundamental reforms to change the industry for the better. Demand continues to greatly outstrip supply and more appropriate regulation of the sector is vital if we are to improve the experience of people looking to rent and purchase a home.”
The statement continues: “The Government has a good opportunity at the Queen’s Speech to introduce a new and radical Housing Bill to address these significant concerns. The challenges are not insurmountable and we greatly look forward to working with the DCLG [Department for Communities and Local Government] team to find solutions to these challenges in the months ahead.”