Labour must increase their recruitment of builders by 300 per day in order to meet their housing goal, even though the current number of builders is decreasing.

Andy Burnham has a daunting task ahead of him as he takes on the role of Housing Secretary. According to new research, his government needs to recruit 300 workers every day in order to meet their target of building 1.5 million new homes in England over the next parliament. However, instead of gaining workers, the construction industry is actually losing 200 workers per day.

This ambitious target, outlined in Labour's 2024 manifesto, is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve as the numbers from last year show a decrease in the number of homes built compared to the previous year. In fact, it was the lowest number of homes built since 2015/16. To make matters worse, the research from Land Value Calculator reveals that even more workers will be needed to reach the government's target.

In order to meet the goal of 1.5 million homes by July 2029, around 1,008 new homes will need to be built every day. Currently, the rate is only 547 per day, meaning that there needs to be an 84% increase in delivery. Based on data from the Office for National Statistics, it has been calculated that an additional 345,000 workers will be needed by July 2029, which breaks down to about 300 workers per day.

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You can even find out how much you could borrow online. Unfortunately, it seems that the construction workforce is actually decreasing, with 78,878 workers lost in the past year according to the ONS. This means that the industry is losing 200 workers per day.

A spokesperson for LVC commented on this, saying that the government's target is not a housing program, but rather a staffing shortage with a housing target attached. The Construction Industry Training Board predicts that the workforce in England will decrease by 0.9% this year and will only slightly increase each year until the end of the decade. However, it is expected that the numbers in 2030 will still be below the 2019 levels due to the impact of the Covid pandemic and Brexit.

In response to this, the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government has launched a skills package to bring new workers into the industry. They have also allocated £625 million to recruit up to 60,000 construction workers and an additional £1.2 billion for skills training by 2029. Along with planning reforms and the £16 billion National Housing Bank, they hope to meet the country's housing needs.

Despite the challenges, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner remains committed to the target of 1.5 million new homes. She first implemented this target after the general election in her previous role as housing secretary, and has now returned to the role under Andy Burnham. She acknowledges that it is a difficult target, especially with rising construction costs, but she is determined to see it through.

Speaking on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, Rayner compared the target to running a marathon in under five hours. She recognizes the challenge, but is determined to achieve it. In addition to the housing target, Burnham has also pledged to oversee the largest council housebuilding program since the post-war period, with over 4.4 million council houses built in the 35 years after the Second World War.

As the government faces challenges both within the construction industry and on a global scale, it remains to be seen if they will be able to meet their ambitious target. However, with determination and the right strategies in place, their goal of providing more affordable homes for the people of England may still be within reach.