A shortage of skilled construction sector labour is putting the maintenance, upgrading and supply of social and other affordable homes in the capital at risk, according to a new report.
The London Homes Coalition, a partnership of seven leading housing associations, building contractors and other industry specialists, says that in the coming five years its members could be short of around 2,600 of the people they need to look after existing properties, retrofit them to meet safety and environmental standards, and build new homes.
The report, entitled Building Skills for the Future, says the coalition’s members will need around 10,000 men and women working on “asset management commitments” each year and up to 31,000 “to deliver on new build investments”. The housing delivery pipelines of the coalition’s members account for about 10 per cent of the capital’s overall construction workforce.
The current workforce is ageing and retiring, the report says, a situation “exacerbated by insufficient training programmes and limited awareness of career opportunities”.
There are particular concerns about roofers and surveyors, with current trends suggesting coalition members will have only, respectively, 85 per cent and 78 per cent of the personnel required in those two areas.
Housing associations have faced additional demands in recent years, arising from the need to implement post-Grenfell building safety rules and to improve properties so that they meet Net Zero environmental standards.
This has come at the same time as what the report calls “the legacy of Covid-19 and Brexit” having “a severe impact on workforce availability”, creating heightened competition for workers within the construction sector as a whole, including large commercial house-builders nationwide.
An average of around 413,000 people are forecast to be employed in construction work in London over the 2024-2028 period, many of them self-employed, which can add to recruitment and training difficulties. It is estimated that over 26,000 more will need to be recruited during the next five years.
The Building Skills for the Future report says there is scope for increasing recruitment from statistically under-represented population groups, noting that the percentages of ethnic minority and female workers in the sector fall below those in other areas of employment.
It estimates that adding to the supply and quality of social and other affordable homes in the capital could save social care services more than £3.5 billion a year and the National Health Service £600 million a year, along with boosting the economy.
The report also says the opportunities and benefits of working in social housing should be promoted at national level, “barriers to apprenticeships and skills development” should be removed and funding more consistently provided in order to reduce the shortages.
The coalition, whos housing association members are Peabody, L&Q, the Guinness Partnership, Metropolitan Thames Valley, Notting Hill Genesis, Hyde Housing and Sovereign Network Group, sees collaboration with London’s boroughs, City Hall and national government departments as “critical to achieving our objectives”.
The newly-elected Labour government has pledged to increase house building across the country, setting a goal of 1.5 million new homes being built nationwide over the course of this Parliament and saying it will reimpose local housing delivery targets and reform the planning system, though no additional public money has been pledged.
Read the Building Skills for the Future report HERE. OnLondon.co.uk provides unique coverage of the capital’s politics, development and culture. Support it for just £5 a month or £50 a year and get things for your money too. Details HERE. Threads: DaveHillOnLondon. X/Twitter: On London and Dave Hill. Photo from L&Q website.