Stephen Murphy

As a result of a failure over many decades to build enough homes of all tenures, we have a generation locked out of homeownership, over 1.3 million households languishing on social housing waiting lists and nearly 180,000 children homeless living in temporary accommodation. Tackling the housing crisis is a national imperative and a priority for @andyburnham and this Labour government. A core part of our plan to improve housing availability, affordability and quality in this Parliament has been a bold overhaul of the planning system. We began that process in December 2024 by revising national planning policy, reversing the previous Conservative government’s anti-supply changes; implementing a new standard method for calculating housing need aligned to our more ambitious national housing target; and releasing more land into the system through a modernised, strategic approach to green-belt land designation and release. In December 2025, our landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act received Royal Assent, enabling us to speed up and streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure. Today, we are publishing a new National Planning Policy Framework as the culmination of a sustained effort over the past two years to revamp our planning system so that it is geared toward meeting housing need in full and unleashes economic growth. The new Framework sets out national planning policy in a clearer and more comprehensive manner and incorporates a number of substantive reforms, including making the response to suitable proposals to develop land around rail stations a default ‘yes’ so that we maximise opportunities for sustainable development, make the most of high levels of connectivity, and improve access to jobs and services. We are building a fairer country, delivering good growth in every postcode and bringing back hope.