Precisely Jayne, I can't work it out for myself.That's exactly why I asked of you:Really? What has this government brought in that is making it harder for developers (unless it's insisting that the rules about providing a proportion of affordable housing within the development are followed)?Says everything about me does it? No, I don't think so. What it does say about me is that just because someone says something is such and such, I don't necessarily accept it, but go to the trouble of inquiring further, and asking them to justify some of the sweeping comments and generalisations that they are making. You are particularly prone to making sweeping generalisations.I've read https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93lxvz42k7o which may be what you said I should read.Two mentions of the word economy:The first truth is that housing is a market, so its fortunes or failures are completely connected to what else is going on in the economy. Many members of the public are stretched financially and appetite for risk is low, manifesting in huge challenges for first-time buyers getting access to cash.It's a challenge, too, for big builders: you might not shed a tear for the huge property companies but as a source says: "A baker won't bake a loaf of bread unless he knows someone is going to buy it - the economy is so uncertain you have to wonder if builders will take the risk to buy land, and then build with an uncertain return three or four years down the line." One (specific) mention of tax (or rather taxpayers who pay tax) in the article:The numbers of families struggling to find a stable home has gone up massively too. More than 159,000 children in England alone are homeless without a permanent address - a record high. The housing benefit bill to support those who can't completely pay their own way is about £20bn and rising, a massive price tag for the taxpayer.In other words, this affects us all.Sir Keir Starmer has shouted about building homes since his opposition days, trying out the line "we are the builders" at his party's conference in 2023 and repeating it since. Sources in the sector welcome Labour's concentration and ambition on housing and contrast it with the "negative" relationship with the previous government. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who will be on our show tomorrow, is praised for properly talking to, and listening to, the industry.There's plenty in the article about the problems there are for developers.Yes, if the economy is tanking then building is going to be adversely affected, as it can be for plenty of other reasons e.g. inability to get the workers to do the building, difficulty in getting approvals for developments etc, but back to the question I asked of you, what is it that this government has introduced that is making it harder for developers?And please answer the question in your own words, rather than pointing me at a BBC website. I'm sure you don't agree with everything the BBC writes anyway.And there is no need to be so insulting to others who question something you say in a polite manner. I wouldn't question your education, though I might call out your arrogance and your "I know better than you" attitude.
Andrew Jones ● 12d