Publisher's Synopsis
This report summarises the work of six projects supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation into the relationship between housing and the construction industry. It concludes that Britain's housebuilders produce too few houses and compare badly in value-for-money terms with builders in North America and Europe. The research suggests that the construction industry in Britain not only fails to deliver quality homes that people can afford, but is also unable to repair them adequately. This overview explains how housing supply works in broad terms, identifies significant problems affecting housing supply, and suggests ways to improve the situation. The report concludes that a combination of characteristics, including the exceptionally low current level of demand, the extreme volatility of demand and the internal organisation of the construction industry, have created a supply system that invests relatively little in production and training, and hence produces unsophisticated products at comparatively high cost. The specific problems of housing construction are not, at present, being addressed by reports on the construction industry nor within industry debates, despite the importance of housing as a product for the construction industry. This report provides a number of suggestions to encourage debate in this neglected area of housing policy. Housing and construction will be of interest to policy makers in central and local government, housing professionals and others concerned with housing provision, and construction industry professionals and managers.
