Context: The housing crisis in the UK has been a pressing concern for both policymakers and citizens alike. The shortage of affordable housing has been mounting for decades, driven by various factors including population growth, regional disparities, and historical under-delivery. To address the imbalance between housing demand and supply, the UK government previously set a target to build around 300,000 new homes annually. Meeting this target consistently is deemed critical to alleviating the housing pressures, but actual numbers have fluctuated, leading to uncertainty about the nation's ability to hit the mark before 2030.
Resolution Criteria: The market will revolve around whether the UK succeeds in constructing 300,000 or more housing units in any single year by the end of 2029. A 'housing unit' for the purpose of this market is defined as a self-contained place of accommodation, which could be a house, flat, or even a conversion, constructed with the purpose of serving as a domicile for individuals or families. The official figures will be referenced from the annual housing report published by the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.
For the market to resolve as 'Yes', the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government's report should clearly indicate that 300,000 or more housing units have been completed in any one year from 2023 to 2029 inclusive. In the event that the Ministry ceases to publish this data, a reputable alternative source, such as data from a nationally recognized housing association or body, will be employed to verify the figures. Should there be disputes over what constitutes a 'housing unit' or if the data sources present conflicting numbers, a median of three nationally recognized housing reports will be used to determine the final count for resolution.
Voting yes because of New Zealand's success. I don't think 300k is really that much considering how fast the ramp up has been. The politics is getting better over time due to the visibility of the problem in statistics and the melenial (house poor) population growing more politically important as their parents die.
@StephenBuggy Interesting! I probably am slightly below market odds right now (perhaps I am at ~49%). On one hand 5 years is a long time. Labours current plan is not a big enough update for me, it doesn't sound aggressive enough.
@StephenBuggy We can keep a keen eye out for leading indicators of success - I'd be excited to see them
@ElliotDavies For sure. The legislation so far is so-so but it's early. We'll see what comes from it