The government’s stated ‘levelling up’ agenda will be a major topic during the Conservative Party Conference this week, but housing will also be a crucial issue.

The latest data from the Office of National Statistic, released last week, shows that there was a 10% drop in the volume of residential properties finished in the second quarter of 2021, while the number of properties started by housebuilders fell by 5%.

The government, which has an ambition to achieve 300,000 new build properties a year, is under mounting pressure to boost the supply of much need new homes.

Michael Gove, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, is expected to launch a paper advocating “community-powered Conservatism” that would see residents made the “ultimate arbiters” of developments in their area.

Such a move would prove popular with some NINBY’s, but what impact would it have on the housebuilding sector and the delivery of new homes?

Eyes will be on Gove’s speech today at the Conservative Party Conference, which is scheduled to take place at 2pm.