Richard Tice and Nigel Farage have pledged to fix the problem (Image: Getty)
Reform UK has appointed the former boss of Homes England as its new housing tsar. Simon Dudley is the party’s latest appointment, taking on the job as spokesman on housing and infrastructure.
He previously served as chairman for Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, where he oversaw tens of thousands of new builds. With 30 years of business experience, Mr Dudley worked primarily in banking and private equity before becoming a managing director at the well-known bank, Citi.
Get the latest politics news – straight from our team in Westminster and more
Invalid email
You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info.
Announcing the appointment, Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, said that Mr Dudley was “exactly what we need”. He lavished praise on his new colleague, saying: “He understands planning, finance and regeneration. He knows how to get projects moving … this is essential to increase growth and prosperity.”
Mr Tice added: “Britain is not building enough homes, not building enough infrastructure and not creating the conditions for businesses to grow.
“The system is clogged by delay, overregulation and absurdly high costs. This is all due to weak, inexperienced leadership in such a vital activity.”
He will now take the lead on what party figures say will be an urgent review into the building crisis in the UK. It is understood that the review will focus on urgent reforms to the planning system intended to enable more homes to be built as well as the rollout of national infrastructure, with a focus on reducing costs and timescales.
Ensure our latest politics headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Simon Dudley oversaw tens of thousands of new builds at Homes England (Image: Reform UK)
Mr Dudley said that the country was facing a “building crisis”, which he claimed was forcing young people to be locked out of ever owning a home.
Home ownership among the under-35s has nosedived in recent years as house prices have risen and governments have consistently missed targets to build new homes.
Families have been left paying high rents because of this, Mr Dudley claimed.
He added: “I have spent my career delivering homes and major regeneration schemes. I know that with the right reforms, we can move quickly and at scale.
“Our urgent review will examine how to simplify planning, accelerate infrastructure and unlock land for homes and jobs. We will focus on practical steps that can be implemented fast.”
Reform UK is currently leading in every major opinion poll, and Nigel Farage has unveiled several appointments to his “front bench”, including naming his MPs to senior positions dubbed the “Reform shadow cabinet” last month.
Reform UK Issues Huge Update on Plans to Fix Housebuilding Crisis
Reform UK has unveiled a major update to its plans for tackling Britain’s housing shortage, putting planning reform, brownfield development and faster construction at the centre of its approach to the country’s housebuilding crisis.
The party has argued for years that Britain is not building enough homes and that complicated planning rules, high development costs and a shortage of available land are preventing new housing from being delivered at the scale required.
Its latest proposals come as housing remains one of the most politically sensitive issues in Britain. The government has set an ambition to deliver 1.5 million homes and has introduced major changes to the planning system, while Reform UK is attempting to present its own alternative approach.
The party’s updated housing strategy includes proposals for faster planning decisions, greater use of brownfield land and changes to the regulatory framework affecting developers.
Reform Appoints New Housing Specialist
One of the most significant developments is Reform UK’s decision to appoint Simon Dudley as its housing and infrastructure spokesman.
Dudley is a former chairman of Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, giving him extensive experience in housing development and regeneration. Reform described the appointment as an attempt to bring specialist knowledge into its housing policy operation.
Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, said Dudley understood planning, finance and regeneration and could help get projects moving.
The appointment is significant because housing policy is considerably more complicated than simply announcing a target for new homes.
Large-scale developments require land, infrastructure, finance, planning permission, transport links and utilities. Even when developers are willing to build, delays in any part of the process can prevent projects from progressing.
Reform appears to be placing greater emphasis on these practical obstacles.
The Brownfield Focus
At the heart of the party’s approach is a stronger focus on brownfield land.
Brownfield sites are previously developed areas that can potentially be reused for housing or other development. Reform has argued that such land should be brought forward more quickly rather than allowing planning procedures to delay projects unnecessarily.
The party’s policy documents have previously proposed fast-track planning and tax incentives for brownfield development. It has also advocated a “loose fit planning” system for large residential developments, under which broad guidelines and developer requirements would be agreed in advance.
More recent Reform proposals go further.
A September 2026 report said the party planned to consult on measures under which brownfield housing developments could receive approval by default unless there was an exceptional and unresolved reason to refuse them. The proposals would also remove some environmental-reporting requirements for brownfield projects.
The underlying argument is straightforward: if Britain already has land that has been developed previously, supporters of faster housebuilding argue that it should be easier to use that land for new homes.
Why Reform Says Planning Needs to Change
Planning has become one of the central battlegrounds in Britain’s housing debate.
Reform argues that excessive regulation creates delays and increases costs. The party says that every additional requirement can affect the financial viability of a development.
Simon Dudley previously argued that regulation had contributed to difficulties in getting projects moving, particularly in London. In an interview with Inside Housing, he said the impact of poor regulation could prevent development and reduce the amount of capital flowing into the sector.
This argument reflects a broader debate within the housing industry.
Developers generally require a predictable planning system. If projects take years to receive approval, financing costs can increase and developers may reconsider whether schemes remain commercially viable.
Reform therefore wants to create a planning system in which suitable brownfield projects can move more quickly.
Affordable Housing Requirements
One of the more controversial aspects of the latest proposals concerns affordable housing.
According to the September 2026 summary of Reform’s proposed consultation, affordable-housing requirements would be lifted for many brownfield developments.
There would, however, be special requirements for large developments of 20 or more homes in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol. Such projects would need to provide 5% affordable housing on site or contribute funding equivalent to 10% for provision elsewhere.
The argument behind such a policy is that reducing development obligations could make more schemes financially viable.
Critics can raise a different concern: if fewer affordable homes are required from private developments, councils could face greater pressure to meet the needs of households unable to afford market prices.
This illustrates one of the fundamental tensions in housing policy.
Building more homes can increase overall supply, but governments also have to consider what types of homes are being built and who can afford them.
Reform’s Social Housing Plans
Reform’s housing policy is not limited to private development.
Its official policy documents include a proposal to build 50,000 new affordable homes a year for British workers, with the party stating that the programme would be funded without new taxes or government borrowing.
The party has also previously proposed giving greater priority in social housing to local people and those who have contributed to the system.
Its wider housing platform includes measures relating to landlords, leaseholders, construction technology and rental regulation.
Reform’s 2024 policy document proposed scrapping Section 24 restrictions affecting landlords’ ability to deduct finance costs, as well as replacing the Renters’ Reform Bill with a different system of monitoring, appeals and enforcement.
The party has also called for greater use of modular construction and digital technology to improve construction efficiency.
The Government’s Alternative Approach
Reform’s proposals come at a time when Labour is pursuing its own major housing programme.
The government has set an ambition of 1.5 million new homes and has introduced significant changes to the planning framework.
In December 2025, the government announced a major rewrite of the National Planning Policy Framework, saying the reforms would encourage development on brownfield land, around train stations and through higher-density housing.
The government has also argued that its Planning and Infrastructure Act, which received Royal Assent in December 2025, would accelerate development and infrastructure delivery. The government estimates that the legislation could increase GDP by up to £7.5 billion over a decade once fully implemented.
This means Reform is not entering an empty policy space.
Labour is already attempting to accelerate housebuilding, making the debate partly about which planning reforms can deliver homes most effectively.
The Scale of Britain’s Housing Problem
The political importance of the issue is partly explained by the scale of housing pressures.
The government has acknowledged a long-term shortage of social and affordable homes. Its January 2026 housing strategy said more than 1.3 million people were waiting on social-housing registers and that more than 165,000 children were living in temporary accommodation. It also said homeownership among young people had fallen substantially over the previous 35 years.
These figures demonstrate why housebuilding has become such a major political issue.
For younger households, the problem is not simply whether new homes exist. The type, location and price of those homes can determine whether they are accessible.
For renters, housing supply can influence competition for properties and the broader rental market.
For councils, a shortage of affordable housing can increase spending pressures associated with homelessness and temporary accommodation.
Can Planning Reform Deliver More Homes?
The central question surrounding Reform’s proposals is whether reducing planning restrictions would actually result in significantly more completed homes.
Reform’s argument is that developers need fewer obstacles and more certainty.
However, planning is only one part of the construction process.
Housebuilding also depends on interest rates, mortgage availability, construction costs, labour, materials, infrastructure and the willingness of developers to build homes at a particular pace.
Even a planning approval does not automatically guarantee that a house will be constructed immediately.
This is why Reform’s decision to appoint someone with experience in development and regeneration could be important to the party’s approach. Its updated strategy focuses not only on planning permission but also on the broader conditions required to make development happen.
The Role of Infrastructure
Infrastructure is another major part of the debate.
Large housing developments can require new roads, schools, healthcare facilities, public transport and utilities.
If infrastructure cannot keep pace with population growth, communities may object to new developments even when there is a recognised need for additional homes.
Reform’s housing and infrastructure policy therefore attempts to connect housebuilding with wider economic development.
The party argues that Britain needs not only more homes but also the conditions for businesses to grow and communities to function effectively.
This is particularly relevant to brownfield development in urban areas, where new housing can potentially make use of existing transport and utility networks.
A Political Battle Over Britain’s Future
Housing policy is increasingly becoming another area in which Reform UK seeks to distinguish itself from Labour and the Conservatives.
Reform’s approach emphasises deregulation, faster planning and greater use of brownfield land.
Labour’s strategy also places considerable emphasis on increasing housing supply, but it combines development with government investment in social and affordable housing and a revised planning framework.
The Conservatives have also traditionally argued for increasing housebuilding while debating how much intervention should come from central government.
For voters, the differences between the parties are therefore not simply about whether more homes should be built. The disagreement concerns how development should be approved, who should pay for infrastructure, what environmental safeguards should remain and how affordable housing should be provided.
What Happens Next?
Reform’s next step will be to develop its proposals through consultation and further policy work.
The appointment of Simon Dudley suggests that the party intends to place greater emphasis on technical housing expertise as it develops its programme.
Its brownfield proposals could become particularly significant if Reform continues to advocate automatic or simplified approval for suitable developments.
At the same time, questions surrounding environmental protection, affordable housing and infrastructure are likely to remain central to the debate.
The challenge will be finding a balance between faster development and the safeguards that communities and policymakers consider necessary.
Conclusion
Reform UK’s latest housing update marks a significant expansion of its plans to tackle Britain’s housebuilding crisis.
The party wants to accelerate brownfield development, simplify planning, reduce delays and create conditions that it believes will encourage developers to build more homes. Its official policy platform also includes a pledge to build 50,000 affordable homes a year and proposals to encourage new construction technology.
The appointment of former Homes England chairman Simon Dudley gives the party a housing spokesman with substantial experience in development and regeneration.
But Reform’s proposals will face an important test: whether changes to planning rules can translate into completed homes that are affordable, properly connected to infrastructure and delivered at the scale Britain needs.
The housing crisis has developed over decades, and no single planning reform is likely to solve every aspect of it.
What is clear is that housebuilding will remain a major political battleground. Labour is pursuing its own ambitious planning and housing programme, while Reform UK is presenting a more aggressive approach centred on brownfield development and deregulation.
The coming debate will therefore be less about whether Britain needs more homes and more about how those homes should be built, where they should be located, who should pay for them and what rules should govern their construction.