The UK housing crisis will be top of the political agenda in September and October when the main political parties hold their party conferences, a leading expert has predicted.  

With house prices continuing to rise across many parts of the UK, owed largely the shortage of housing supply, attention is now turning to housing policy, especially the delivery of new homes, with the Conservatives yet to implement many of the changes mooted in the housing white paper published earlier this year.

Gráinne Gilmore, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, believes that it is clear from the number of headlines in recent weeks about various aspects of the residential property market, not least several calls for a reform of stamp duty on housing transactions.

Gilmore feels that a key topic will be the future of Help to Buy, the scheme which allows buyers of new homes to access a 20% equity loan to help pay for a deposit. Homes worth up to £600,000 in London and £400,000 in the rest of England are eligible for the scheme, which is due to end in 2021.

“As political parties look towards their conferences in late September and October, housing will once again be an issue at the top of the agenda,” she said.