The usual question posed to ministers with ambitious plans is: “Where will the money come from?” But in the case of Angela Rayner’s much-vaunted aim to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years or so, largely funded by the private sector, the more pertinent question seems to be: “Where will the workers to build them be found?”
This is the dark secret that dare not speak its name in government circles but has been plonked firmly in the public domain by the industry itself – and in no uncertain terms. Amit Oberoi, executive chair of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, a trade body, tells The Independent exclusively today that the government’s plans are unachievable given current trends in the labour force. Indeed, adding pressures to build such a large number of houses at the same time as ramping up infrastructure investment in a wide range of major construction projects is “not only short-sighted but also dangerous”.
