RICS member update following appointment of Andy Burnham as UK Prime Minister

Andy Burnham entered 10 Downing Street yesterday as the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade promising that his administration would be a circuit breaker.  His first address from the steps of Number 10 put housing, procurement, skills and devolution at the centre of his emerging ten-year programme - A New Plan for Britain.  Core to this developing approach to government is his objective to create new “political and economic models” with the right values and standards at the centre.

Housing: a council housebuilding programme

The Prime Minister has pledged to recommence a council housebuilding programme, having previously argued that the loss of council stock has left the state subsidising private rents rather than providing homes.  The Prime Minister argued that this will deliver a “fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down”.  His first instruction was to “end rough sleeping in our country”, and he brings with him experience of working on the homelessness challenge from his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Education and skills

With around 1 million young people, roughly one in eight, not in education, employment or training, the Prime Minister committed to changing the education system and getting more young people into work. This was framed through the need for more support and particularly mental health support for young people.

Later in the speech, the Prime Minister made clear that his premiership will be about investing in success and a preventative state rather than an administration that pays for failure.

Procurement and industrial strategy

The Prime Minister signalled a more interventionist approach to public procurement, suggesting that this was a means by which Britain can be “reindustrialised”.  He referenced building a new economy and set out his desire to bring “life’s essentials” under public control in order to make them more affordable.

How RICS is supporting members and engaging with the new government

RICS is already positioning to engage with the incoming government across the priority areas set out today.  On housing, we will build on our ongoing work with policymakers on housing viability, retrofit and housing quality to input into the council housebuilding programme, sharing member expertise on delivery and site viability.  On procurement and the emerging industrial strategy, we will highlight the profession’s role in cost certainty and project assurance as the government seeks to accelerate reindustrialisation across the UK.  We will also draw on our work understanding the skill shortages and challenge to inform the new government’s approach to changing the education system and getting more young people into work.

What happens next

The Prime Minister indicated that further announcements on the cost of living will follow this week – including plans on how they’ll be paid for.  Whilst the speech was well received by Labour, it remains the case that significant detail is yet to be confirmed on the broader housing, skills and devolution agendas.  RICS looks forward to constructive engagement with the new Government to support them in delivering their agenda and making the expertise and knowledge of the profession available to them.