BRE responds to the UK government’s autumn budget

Gillian Charlesworth, CEO at BRE, comments on the UK Government’s budget announcement.

"We are pleased to see the Government announce additional funding for the delivery of both affordable housing and new infrastructure, despite the fiscal pressures it currently faces.

It is encouraging to see an acknowledgement of the central importance of our built environment in today’s Budget, with £3.4bn committed to the Government’s Warm Homes Plan to address fuel poverty and help households meet energy efficiency targets.

Delivering a supply of healthy and liveable homes alongside infrastructure which meets the needs of the modern population will reap economic and societal impacts for the UK over the long-term.

With new funding comes an opportunity to take strides towards greener systems which are built with less environmental impact and allow us to live greener lives.

– Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of BRE

It is, however, vital that this investment is not squandered. While the target of building 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament is a high one, we must all work to ensure every new home that is built meets high standards, both with regards to the standard of living it provides and its environmental impact."

Building homes fast, without regard for the future, will only add to the already huge task of retrofitting our existing housing stock to meet net zero. Similarly, sensible infrastructure investment is critical to decarbonising our economy."