The government has understandably been cautious in its announcements regarding the ‘closure’ of the housing market. It has left open the option of completely shutting it down to manage the spread of coronavirus if the pandemic worsens. It currently remains open, but it could still be shut down similarly to what happened in the first national lockdown, which saw house moves and sales frozen for nearly two months. It also called for greater flexibility from those moving home, in the event of one of the parties contracting the coronavirus.
“We encourage all parties to be as flexible as possible and be prepared to delay moves if necessary, for example if someone involved in the transaction becomes ill with COVID-19 during the moving process or has to self-isolate.”
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The restart of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry has been delayed as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions. Following the Christmas break, phase two discussions were due to be held early in January, looking into the response of the fire and the events leading up to the tragedy. It is expected that this now will commence in February 2021.
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Campaigners and housing bodies are urging the government to reinstate the eviction ban and the ‘Everyone In’ scheme to better support renters and rough sleepers. The groups argue that various housing measures must be implemented now to protect public health, with the new variant of COVID-19 being 70% more infectious.
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The construction sector as a whole will remain operational, following safe working practices and social distancing guidelines. The supply chain is striving to operate as close to normal as possible, reports show from an exercise undertaken with CHIC’s supply chain partners.
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In Other News
The UK government has recently published its Energy White Paper, outlining how the UK will transition to clean energy sources.
The white paper puts net zero at its core, following the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. The Ten Point Plan sets out how government investment will leverage billions of pounds more of private investment and support up to 250,000 jobs by 2030.
The paper outlines how the UK will:
- Transform energy, building a cleaner, greener future for our country, our people and our planet
- Support a green recovery, growing our economy, supporting thousands of green jobs across the country in new green industries and leveraging new green export opportunities
- Create a fair deal for consumers, protecting the fuel poor, providing opportunities to save money on bills, giving us warmer, more comfortable homes and balancing investment against bill impacts
