Brown 'should commit to homebuilding'

The House Builders Federation (HBF) has called on prime minister-designate Gordon Brown to commit to increasing the available housing stock in the country.

HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley argued that Mr Brown should look to create a new secretary of state for housing to represent the interest of homebuilders, landlords and consumers in parliament.

"Housing has not enjoyed its own minister in cabinet since 1969, when it was subsumed into the Department for the Environment," Mr Baseley argued.

"In the past, both Harold MacMillan and Sir Keith Joseph implemented ambitious house building programmes from the top table in government.

"It is time housing was once more given the priority it demands - a cabinet minister with specific responsibility for tackling Britain's chronic housing shortage."

Elsewhere in its mini manifesto, the HBF called on the government to reform the planning process to speed up new builds, ease the burden of regulation facing people involved in the housing and letting industry and allow developers the freedom to build the type of property they want.