A rant... and some good news for UK’s homeowners

THE rapid turnover of Housing Ministers over the past 13 years is remarkable. There have been 16 different MPs in the post since 2010.

This is significant and worrying given that housing is one of the most important briefs. Those who have been in post have barely got to grips with what it entails before they get the boot.

This, when we need more quality, ecofriendly and energy efficient homes, to buy and to rent, built in appropriate places, while making sure existing properties are improved to cut the cost of utility bills and to protect the environment.

Then there’s righting the terrible wrongs on leaseholders caught in the building safety scandal.

Rachel Maclean is the latest to get the boot and Lee Rowley has returned to the post. For how long? It’s anyone’s guess.

Talking about guessing, there’s a very educated one this week from Faisal Choudhry, Director of Residential Research for the North of England at Savills.

This is his forecast and it’s something those on the property ladder can look forward to: “House prices across Yorkshire are expected to fall slightly by 2.5 per cent in 2024 compared to a wider UK drop of three per cent.

“This reflects ongoing economic uncertainty and elevated interest rates but even with that fall, house prices across the region will remain 14 per cent higher on average compared to the beginning of 2020 before the pandemic.

“Looking ahead, the region offers value and connectivity to the hubs of Edinburgh and London on the East Coast Mainline, ease of access to the A1, excellent schooling and quality of life.

“This means more capacity for price growth.

“And we expect Yorkshire prices to outperform the rest of the UK over the next five years, led by the equity driven prime market.”