UK General election 2019
RICS’ response to the latest UK election developments.
An opportunity for the built and natural environments
On 12 December UK citizens will vote to elect a new government. The election, the third of its kind in five years, follows a long period of deliberation about the UK’s relationship with the European Union and its place in the global market.
It has therefore unsurprisingly been labelled by many as another ‘Brexit election’, yet the focus on Brexit has been to the detriment of the UK’s land, real estate, construction and infrastructure sectors.
These sectors, and our professionals who operate within them, are vital to economic development, helping to support stable and sustainable investment and growth across the UK. Chartered surveyors play a leading role in tackling our most pressing domestic issues in the UK, including the housing crisis, climate change and high street rejuvenation.
RICS believes that political parties need to refocus their attention away from Brexit and recognise that the manifesto pledges they make on domestic issues will have a long-lasting impact on both the built and natural environments and, therefore, the wider economy and society.
We have an intrinsic interest in the fiscal and policy measures which impact on the built and natural environments as well as the social impact resulting from government activity.
Regardless of its configuration, the next government needs to provide a holistic approach to monetary policy and support for the built and natural environments. Ultimately, it should look to embrace new approaches to the planning, development, delivery and maintenance of built and natural environment assets.
Failure to address these issues in a planned, cohesive way will have a serious impact on the wider economy, exacerbating the existing housing and infrastructure deficit.
RICS will shortly be publishing propositions for political parties to consider if they form the next government. These propositions will address issues on both a macro level – working towards a replacement for the European Investment Bank Group if the UK leaves the European Union – and a micro level – including reviewing tax systems with a view to improving conditions for the UK’s residential and commercial markets.
The propositions will cover three significant issues that must be addressed in the interests of the UK economy:
- housing supply
- climate change
- high street renewal.
We encourage you to refer to this page over the course of the election to read these propositions and other relevant comment.
All Credit to: Hew Edgar MCIPR Head of UK Government Relations & City Strategy : https://www.rics.org/uk/news-insight/latest-news/general-election/