Build social housing as a way to recover from Covid, says construction boss
HIS 96-PAGE REPORT IS GOING TO GOVERNMENT MINISTERS
A DERBY construction boss has commissioned and published a report which describes how the UK could build its way out of a looming postCovid recession and save billions of pounds for the taxpayer.
Hodgkinson Builders, of Royal Scot Road, has produced its first Annual Social Housing Report in conjunction with support and research from the University of Derby.
The 96-page white paper paints a warts-and-all picture of the current state of the construction industry, including the deep-seated problems caused by skills shortages and poor construction methods.
But its main focus is to highlight the crisis surrounding a lack of social housing and the need for people and organisations to change negative attitudes towards the concept of social housing.
Managing director Ian Hodgkinson is urging businesses and governments to use smarter, more sustainable methods to build much-needed social housing quickly – and in doing so he says that society will reap rewards.
The report explains why every affordable home built in the UK generates an additional £108,000 for the economy, due to the creation of jobs and a boost to the local businesses in that area.
It also details why improving the housing stock for the less well-off will cut billions in unnecessary expenditure from the NHS bill.
Mr Hodgkinson said: “Never has there been a better time to improve housing and social housing in the UK. Faced with the economic challenges caused by the current pandemic, this is an area that could drive our economy in the right direction and give us a chance to build our way out of a crisis.
“Although this report was conceived and written during the pandemic, it’s something that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. But now, the conclusions it draws are even more poignant than they were beforehand.”
Mr Hodgkinson said that with so many people struggling financially, and with the benefit system funding increasingly expensive temporary housing solutions for homeless families, it is imperative that efforts are made to remove the stigma of social housing.
He added: “Investment in social and affordable housing has profound benefits for the economy, for people’s health and wellbeing and for the adhesion of local communities.
“I hope this report helps to sort out the facts from the myths in such a way that we can finally achieve the goal of providing every person with a solid roof over their head.” Recommendations made in the report include:
■ Adopting better methods to facilitate the use of brownfield land for housing
■ The widespread adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), including eco-friendly energy provision, off-site modular building and timber-framed construction
■ Reforming the planning system to provide more powers for local authorities to address the specific circumstances of their own areas.
■ Freeing up the thousands of empty homes for much-needed housing use.
The non-political white paper is being distributed to Government ministers, housing associations, local authorities and other decision makers in the hope that it will help to shape future housing policy.
It can also be downloaded from Hodgkinson Builders’ website, hodgkinsonbuilders.com, and people are encouraged to provide their honest feedback on the company’s social media channels.
Mr Hodgkinson is no stranger to debates on construction. In 2016, he led a team of apprentice bricklayers to London, where they built a wall in front of Big Ben to help highlight the skills shortages in the industry.
Never has there been a better time to improve housing and social housing in the UK.
Ian Hodgkinson