No ‘capacity’ for Ed Miliband’s warm homes plan, says British bank boss Property A UK banking chief has warned the government does not have the “capacity” to meet its ambition to transition millions of homes to low carbon-heating technologies. Nigel Terrington, the boss of specialist lender Paragon Bank, said Labour faced an “operational capacity constraint” in its bid to implement its warm home plan. The £15bn initiative, which [...]
What does new City minister Rachel Blake have in store for the Square Mile? Politics The Westminster drama has hit the City in more ways than one. After Wes Streeting’s resignation triggered a mini-reshuffle, Felix Armstrong and Samuel Norman take a look at what the new City minister might have in store. In just under two years, the City has its fourth minister. Tulip Siddiq resigned in January 2025 after [...]
House prices rise as property market builds momentum Property House prices grew 1.3 per cent year on year to February, in the strongest growth in four months, as the property market continues its steady start to the year. Prices rose by 0.3 per cent between January and February, with the average UK property price at a new high of £301,151, according to Halifax’s house [...]
Housing market ended 2025 on ‘softer note’ after ‘resilient’ year January 2, 2026 The UK housing market rounded off 2025 on a softer note after remaining “resilient” through a volatile year, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index. Annual house price growth slowed to 0.6 per cent in December from 1.8 per cent in November, with a 0.4 per cent fall in prices. This took the average UK [...]
Taylor Wimpey shares slump as boss blasts Budget uncertainty November 12, 2025 The boss of Taylor Wimpey has blamed weak market conditions that hit the firm’s bottom line on the uncertainty surrounding the forthcoming Budget. Jennie Daly, chief executive of the housebuilder, said: “Market conditions remain challenging, impacted by uncertainty ahead of the upcoming UK Budget and continued affordability pressures.” Shares in Taylor Wimpey were down over 3.5 [...]
Government pledges ‘whatever it takes’ to get Britain building September 27, 2025 The construction of three new towns will begin before the next election, the Housing Secretary will pledge at Labour’s party conference. The Government will “do whatever it takes to get Britain building”, Steve Reed is expected to tell Labour members on the opening day of the party’s annual gathering in Liverpool. Work on 12 new [...]
Rent on newly-let homes falls for first time in five years after ‘relentless’ rise August 11, 2025 Average rents on newly-let homes have fallen for the first time in around five years, according to a property firm. Across Britain, the average rent on a newly-let property fell by 0.2 per cent year-on-year in July, marking the first annual decline since August 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, Hamptons said. Despite [...]
Housebuilders in focus amid Labour’s planning reforms push August 10, 2025 UK housebuilders will be in sharp focus as the sector grapples with construction woes, despite the Government ploughing ahead with plans to stimulate more building. Persimmon and Balfour Beatty will announce their half-year results on Wednesday, and Bellway will provide a trading update on Tuesday. York-based developer Persimmon said in May that forward sales – [...]
Over 50s mortgages help LiveMore turbocharge growth August 6, 2025 According to Legal & General Mortgage Services, which is involved in around a third of all mortgage transactions in the UK, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of over-50-year-olds applying for mortgages. Rising house prices, coupled with increasing longevity, have pushed the average age of the first time buyer to 33, with [...]
Crest Nicholson: Profit triples as housing market recovers June 12, 2025 Housebuilder Crest Nicholson has reaffirmed its annual guidance as it reported a jump in half-year profit. The London-listed firm said adjusted pre-tax profit more than tripled to £7.9m in the six months ended 30 April. On a statutory basis, the company swung to a £9.4m profit after posting losses of £30.9m in 2024. Revenue declined [...]