Local government leaders welcome the launch of a New Homes Accelerator, which has been tasked with speeding up the delivery of stalled housing sites.

A team from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Homes England will work with local authorities to drive forward housing schemes facing delays, according to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

The new accelerator will bring together government agencies, local planning departments and housebuilders to work through blockages at identified sites. It will also look at barriers to affordable housing delivery.

Government analysis suggests there may be over 200 sites with outline or detailed planning permission but where work has not yet begun, which have capacity to deliver up to 300,000 homes.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: ‘Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.’

David O’Leary, executive director of the Home Builders Federation, commented: ‘The planning process and everything associated with it delivers too little land and has long been a significant constraint on house building. Government has shown a welcome desire in the weeks since the election to address the problems.’

Cllr Claire Holland, Housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, welcomed the move as a ‘postive step’ and said that addressing the housing crisis ‘remains top of the priority list for councils.’

‘Working together to unblock stalled sites through the New Homes Accelerator will deliver more of the homes we need and help to reduce councils’ reliance on temporary accommodation and to tackle homelessness,’ she said.

Check out: The Housing Crisis: a long road ahead