Rishi Sunak has today set out plans to mitigate the impacts that coronavirus has had on the construction sector and economy at large. Here are some of the key highlights from today’s announcement. The Construction Talent Retention Scheme In a move to protect against widespread redundancies across the sector, the Government in conjunction with the Construction Leadership Council, announced a new Construction Talent Retention Scheme. Under the scheme, employers will be able to redeploy staff at risk of redundancy through an online portal and temporarily loan employees between different businesses. This scheme will also make it easier for redundant workers from other sectors to find employment in the construction sector. The Talent Retention Scheme will launch later in July and all services provided by the scheme are initially free until April 2021. Further information on the scheme is available by downloading CLC’s flyer and businesses are able to register their interest in the scheme by visiting the website. The Green Homes Grant With the UK aiming to go carbon neutral by 2050, it was also announced that from September 2020, homeowner occupiers and landlords are able to apply for vouchers to cover costs associated with making their properties more energy efficient. The vouchers will cover two-thirds of the cost to make their homes more energy efficient, up to a limit of £5,000 per home. Up to £10,000 will be provided for low income households to cover the entire cost of the upgrade. “Taken together we expect these measures to make over 650,000 homes more energy efficient, save households up to £300 a year on their bills." "And, most importantly right now, support around 140,000 green jobs.” Said the chancellor. In order to pay for the vouchers, the Government has set aside £2bn, with a further £1bn allocated to making public buildings and social housing more energy efficient. reminder that Novus are able to assist with any energy efficient works required to properties. Make an enquiry via our contact page >> Temporary cut to stamp duty From tomorrow, the Government will raise the stamp duty threshold to £500,000 in a move that will see “nearly nine out of 10 people buying their main home this year will pay no stamp duty at all.” The chancellor hopes that this will give people the confidence “to buy, sell, renovate, move and improve” properties that will in-turn “drive growth, that will create jobs.” This temporary cut is in place for England and Northern Ireland and will run until at least 31 March 2021. VAT has been slashed for hospitality sector To get the hospitality sector moving again, VAT will be slashed by the chancellor. Beginning 1 week from today (8th July) until 12th January, VAT has been cut from 20% to 5% on food from restaurants, cafes and pubs, accommodation in hotels, B&Bs, campsites and caravan sites, and attractions such as cinemas, theme parks and zoos. Mr. Sunak also introduced a surprise pioneering scheme to provide everyone in the UK "Eat Out to Help Out" discount during August. "Meals eaten at any participating business, Monday to Wednesday, will be 50% off, up to a maximum discount of £10 per head for everyone, including children," he said. Further job retention schemes Further measures to ensure job retention were also given the green light today. “If you stand by your workers, we will stand by you.” That was the clear message to struggling businesses faced with making their staff redundant due to the coronavirus pandemic. "If you're an employer and you bring back someone who was furloughed - and continuously employ them through to January - we'll pay you a £1,000 bonus per employee.” So for businesses to get the bonus, the employee must be paid at least £520 on average, in each month from November to the end of January - the equivalent of the lower earnings limit in national insurance."

On Monday 6th July, the Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that the Government will be extending the current Affordable Homes Programme until March 2023. Delays in the Construction Industry Construction on new homes to be built under the Government’s £9 billion scheme originally needed to be underway by March 2022. However, today’s announcement means that housing associations and councils have a year longer to begin building these new homes. The extension applies to homes which are in contract to be delivered by the current scheme. The Government has made the move in light of unavoidable delays in the construction industry due to coronavirus, where the building of 53,000 new affordable homes has stalled, putting their eventual completion at risk. Providing Flexibility to Councils Mr. Jenrick said that this measure will give housing associations and councils more flexibility “to help them deliver affordable homes.” He added that “building the homes the country needs is central to the mission of this Government.” This latest announcement follows last week’s package of measures, including confirmation that the new £12 billion Affordable Homes Programme will support up to 180,000 new build homes, including for shared ownership and social rent. The programme will lead to a further £38 billion in public and private investment in affordable housing. Full details can be seen on the Government website.

Sophie Seddon, people and culture director at Novus, has been appointed a board trustee at the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in a role that will see her play a part in future-proofing the sector and making it more inclusive. Shaping future training schemes She will be using her experience, both within the industry and after more than 10 years at Novus, to help shape and inform future training schemes. Growing the use of new technology, improving sustainability and encouraging inclusivity within the construction industry. Novus offers numerous routes to help young people kick-start their careers in construction, from a range of apprenticeship opportunities to its graduate training programme, helping tackle the skills shortage felt across the industry’s talent pool. To date, the business has trained 70 apprentices.  Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) The CITB is the construction industry’s training board for England, Wales and Scotland. It provides knowledge, research and insight to help inform training and apprenticeship schemes across the industry. The CITB also works with business leaders from across a range of different subsectors to help inform and guide its programmes. Tony Elliott, Group HR Director at Robertson Group, has also joined the board. Sophie Seddon, people and culture director at Novus, said: “The CITB plays an invaluable role in the training and development of the construction industry’s talent of tomorrow." "To join the board and help guide its future direction is an honour and a challenge that I’m looking forward to getting stuck into." “I’m aware from my own experience that more can be done to help make the industry more inclusive, tech-savvy and sustainable and I’m looking forward to ensuring these themes are prevalent in our future work.” Peter Lauener, Chair of the CITB Board, said: “I’m delighted to welcome two extremely talented people to our Board." "We need a diverse range of talent, in terms of skills, experience and personal background, and I’m sure Sophie will strengthen our decision-making at this critical time." "With the challenges we face through Covid-19, and with a new CITB Strategic Plan in development, she will play a leading role in ensuring there is a strong skills-based recovery for construction.”

Amongst the topics discussed on Day 4 of Digital Housing Week was the creation of a new normal for, and with, our communities. Here are the thoughts of Sophie Seddon, Sue Minkley, and Peter Hordley.   During and after Covid-19, how do we begin to create a new normal for, and with, our communities? Session attended by People and Culture Director Sophie Seddon and Housing Partnership Manager Sue Minkley Sophie's Views: The new normal for the next 12 months will largely be centred around preventing the spread of coronavirus, with hygiene and social distancing key priorities when going into properties.Medication and other health related issues will be in focus in order to look after tenants; identifying mental and physical illness during this time. Reviewing internal space to improve mental wellbeing of residents, exploring issues such as home working, exercising at home, natural light and outdoor space. The consensus is that community and green space needs to be improved. Increasing communication and liaison with tenants to understand individual needs. During Covid there has been an increase in this activity and this will not go away. We have an opportunity to reconnect with tenants in a new way – digital technology as enabled this.We have observed new relationships being built between landlord and tenant, and this should be built on. There was an 80% reduction in repairs calls but a significant increase in welfare and Anti-social behaviour calls. Reviewing new ways to do repairs, looking at ‘bundles’ – addressing all the repairs that need to be done and go in and do them in one go. Additionally, taking a look at efficiencies not only to save cost, but to impact less on tenants An MOT style model for the home was proposed. Sue's Views: Engagement goes Digital! Connectivity both in terms of accessibility and affordability, is an area that will need to be addressed by the sector - online can be a lifeline for many. Tackle inequality, service provision, employ more - greater opportunities for persons with disabilities as remote working becomes the new normal. The increased and focused communication should be maintained and not abandoned – continue to build relationships with your customers, understand their needs, deliver services more efficiently. We need to build at least 34,000 housing new age-designated homes annually to keep up with age profile. Design considerations are critical to adopt to the new normal post Covid. Key messages from Head of Partnerships, Peter Hordley A poll of those attending the session on Agile Working showed that 88.5% of participants organisations are going to continue allowing working from home for at least the next 6 months. Communities are no longer a physical entity as we knew them before Covid, they are now also an online community too and the sector has to adapt to this (Jenny Osbourne, TPAS). Early research is indicating that the suicide death rate arising from Covid may actually be higher than the death rate from Covid itself (Dr Raj Persaud). Sign up to Digital Housing Week You can sign up to see all sessions from Digital Housing Week for free by visiting the website here >>

Here is what we learnt on day 3 of Inside Housing's Digital Housing Week (22nd - 26th June 2020).  What is the impact on social housing supply since building has stalled and what will capacity look like post Covid-19? Session attended by BD and Market Insight Manager Paul Williams The construction sector has experienced a 15-20% productivity hit and is not expected to recover fully, until 2022, with labour availability being a major factor, particularly if a hard Brexit occurs. The housing sector is seen as leading in terms of professionalism in construction and the Construction Leadership Council is looking for other parts of construction to follow this example. There is a significant focus on demonstrating MMC is both efficient and cost effective, but acceptance that there is a lack of confidence in the product. Joined up policy making between disposal of public land and the need for more affordable housing can result more affordable homes being delivered. The London Mayors, Land Fund has already demonstrated this approach. Key messages from Head of Partnerships, Peter Hordley and Housing Partnership Manager Sue Minkely The value of the construction industry to the country – every £1 spent in construction has a value of £3 in the wider economy (Ann Bentley, Rider Levett Bucknall). The crisis has accelerated the introduction of some real, potentially long-lasting changes & benefits, such as: Creative use of technology with virtual diagnostic inspections, positive resident engagement & support – particularly for the most vulnerable, and greater online engagement with residents about how services should be delivered (Jennifer Ryans, Housing Ombudsman Service). The crisis has forced us to make changes to the way that services are delivered giving the sector the space to reshape delivery completely, push through strategic improvements and make 2020/21 the year of real change for the better (Rob Morley, KWL). The greater use of technology is the key both with communicating with residents - providing training via webinars, using devices to diagnose faults, and minimising time on site etc - all of which is expected to continue going forward. Sign up to Digital Housing Week You can sign up to see all sessions from Digital Housing Week for free by visiting the website here >>

The landscape of the economy post-pandemic and the issue of homelessness discussed on day 2 of Inside Housing's Digital Housing Week (22nd - 26th June 2020). The economy after the pandemic – what will the lasting effects be on our social and political landscape? Session attended by BD and Market Insight Manager Paul Williams As Brexit is now expected to be a hard Brexit, it will require an additional £200-£300bn of investment from the government to prevent an economic slump. Corporate growth is expected to be slower than before the pandemic with recovery taking 5-10 years. The Government may consider cuts in VAT and stamp duty. Housing Associations can support, anchor and connect communities through investment of “patient capital” to build better neighbourhoods and investing in blighted areas, but must also engage with their LEPs. Whilst Local Authorities mobilised quickly to support their communities through Covid-19, an agile and dynamic approach will follow where the renewal, recovery and rebuilding of services will be required, to reflect the future needs of communities. Fundamentally, the Government need to give up some power to enable local communities to influence their future. Key messages from Head of Partnerships, Peter Hordley Change brings opportunities to do things differently, to innovate and fix the old problems, and move forward with optimism and renewed vigour with new solutions to new issues – Prof Trevor Williams (an economist) Social Housing sector is well placed to weather the growing economic storm because it has planned for crises as part of the RSH stress testing requirement – Will Perry, RSH. It is the place of the social housing sector to invest where others won’t, build better communities and support vulnerable people in ways that others can’t – Sinead Butters, Aspire Housing. Homelessness: Is everyone still in? Session attended by Housing Partnership Manager Sue Minkely We are awaiting a government announcement on extra funding for local councils to continue some of the elements of “everyone in” The need to learn from regions where local authorities have had an innovative and a proactive approach to homelessness. More accurate data is required about homelessness numbers to be able to support the cause and provide long term solutions. Affordable housing is the heart of the solution - Everyone deserves the right to decent quality housing and the benefit cap has made affordability worse in certain regions and needs resolving. Nobody returns to the streets – a substantial amount of people are currently accommodated in hotels or similar emergency housing, are at risk of returning to the streets unless there are measures to provide transition to suitable accommodation. Sign up to Digital Housing Week You can sign up to see all sessions from Digital Housing Week for free by visiting the website here >>