Body set up to police UK housebuilding not representative, say critics

‘Design in British housing, especially speculative mass housing, is generally very poor,’ said former president of the Royal Institute Of British Architects, Ben Derbyshire Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

A new government-backed body set up to police the building industry faces claims that it lacks representation from architects, ordinary homeowners and BAME communities whose Covid-19 death rates have been linked to poor housing standards.

Labour had claimed the New Home Quality Board [NHQB] lacked independence as it was chaired by a Tory MP and Conservative-linked developers sit on the board alongside her. On Friday it announced a new CEO and chair as it moved to what it described as its “full operational stage”.