The announcement has been welcomed by Simon Brown, chief executive of Landmark Information Group, who says his firm has been calling for this for some years.
"We have long been calling on the Government to recognise the role technology can play in a better home-moving process. We’re therefore delighted to see the Government commit today to making this a reality – with a £3m investment to enable technology to lead the way in making a real difference to home movers up and down the country” he states.
“The transaction time for buying and selling property has crept up and up in recent years, causing needless stress and delays for both industry and home-movers. In the UK, the process now takes 19 weeks - 77 per cent longer than in 2007, according to our latest data - and this has been stagnating the property market for far too long.
“We now need this investment to be made available as soon as possible to ensure the home-moving process works effectively for
A summary of the Chancellor’s Housing-related measures announced in his Autumn Statement:
The Local Housing Allowance is to be increased next year to the 30th percentile of local market rents, as requested by numerous landlord and lettings agency groups. Hunt says this will help some 1.6m households currently renting in both the private and social housing sectors. It's the equivalent of some £800 per year per household receiving LHA, he says.
The government-backed 95 per cent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme has been extended until the end of June 2025 - 18 months longer than previously agreed.
On planning, there will be consultation on a change to Permitted Development Rights to allow any house to be converted into two flats, so long as there is no change to the external appearance.
Households close to new electricity infrastructure (pylons and sub-stations) will receive up to £1,000 per year off energy bills.
Additionally, Hunt says that from 2024 local authorities will be able to recover the full cost of large-scale planning applications in return for a guaranteed date for a planning decision.
Business rates 75 per cent relief for retail, hospitality and leisure sectors extended until 2025.
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Other non-housing measures announced include:
- Employee National Insurance cut by 2.0 per cent to 10 per cent, helping 27m employees with an average salary saving £450 - this is introduced from January 6 2024;
- Class 2 National Insurance payments by self-employed to be abolished, saving the average self-employed person £192 a year - Class 4 NI for self-employed cut from 9.0 to 8.0 per cent from April, saving £150 per self-employed person;
- Universal Credit and other benefits to rise from April by 6.7 per cent;
- Core inflation predicted to fall to 2.8 per cent in 2024, then the 2.0 per cent official target in 2025 (this is a slower decline than previously anticipated);
- All alcohol duty frozen until August 2024;
- Triple lock to be honoured in pension payments - state pensions to rise by 8.5 per cent in April;
- Reduced business tax burden by up to 25 per cent by making large-company 'Full Expensing' permanent for those investing in the UK;
- £4.5 billion over five years to be invested in strategically important industry sectors including green technology and pharmaceuticals;
- £50m over two years to pilot ways to increase apprenticeships in key sectors;
- £500m for the development of AI and supercomputer innovation;
- Expanded investment in Freeports and Investment Zones, including further zones in Wales, the Midlands and Greater Manchester;
- Reform for long-term sickness benefits to encourage job-seeking and working from home, with mandatory work-placements after 18 months in some cases;
- National Minimum Wage to rise £11.44p an hour, which is a 9.8 per cent rise;
- £7m for organisations to tackle anti-semitism in schools and universities.
* Remember - the Chancellor’s speech is only part of the Autumn Statement. The substantial details published in writing afterwards often reveal important changes which are only unravelled in the coming days *
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A great result for alcoholic unemployed and pensioners.
A complete insult to most workers. What is the derisory cut in NI supposed to do for anyone? It won't go anywhere close to covering the increased cost of food when prices in supermarkets go up to cover the 9.8% increase in minimum wage. Home owning workers have had or are about to have huge mortgage increases as their fixes end. The NI cut is a teeny, tiny fraction of their increased housing costs. Yesterday was a very sorry day for any middle earner who tries to provide for themselves and not be a drain on the public purse.
Correct Jo and it is the middle earners that contribute the most as a group. Honestly it is the reason I moved out of the country as I could no longer justify the waste of my contributions. The most UnTory government I have ever seen, Margaret will be spinning in her grave...
Spot on as usual Jo. And with inflation at 10% the VAT revenue is growing by 10%!
Not nice.
I say a waste of time too, nothing to help Private Landlords. Section 21 still going increasing homelessnesses it’s removal is the biggest cause of Homelessness the last couple or years as its introduction draws nearer. Theresa May didn’t know what she was doing with this proposal.
Renter’s Reform Bill following close behind S.21’a Removal to do maximum damage to PRS.
The Big Boys Budget, Developers helping them to take over from PRS.
Digitisation far from putting roofs over heads more likely to cause workers to lose their jobs as its been well documented and obvious in recent years.
So the 2 Main Causes of Homelessness hasn’t been addressed. I know there are others reasons like many would rather be on Benefit, housed, their families reared all on the State.
170’000 in Hotels & B & B waiting to be housed many with families. Did they not think of securing a home before having a family.
That's why they are in a hurry to have a family so they don't have to secure a home for themselves just have one given to them for free
Their is massive unemployment in Britain, disguised as neet . net immigration is now at 745 000!
Neet means not in employment education or training, so all on benefits! Figures range between 5 to 9 million, thatcher shot the unemployment up to 5million that's how it's disguised. That's why the benefits bill is so high.
How can we have at least 2 million people being paid to do nothing, but then import 700k plus people to do the jobs our bone idle won’t do 🆘🆘😱😱
Simon, it's worse than that, people who emigrate are normally highly skilled and people coming here have little or no skills. Even nursing and nhs staff have very poor English skills and in reality poorly educated. So real immigration is north of a million.Futher we are closing our wealth creating industries in the absurd chasing of net zero (puaperism).
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