Measures to tackle the current housing crisis need to be top of the list for all the main political parties as they spell out what they will do to get Britain back on its feet, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Richard Diment Director-General of the FMB said: "We have a housing crisis in this country with thousands of people unable to secure an affordable home and nearly five million people on social housing waiting lists. It’s a national disgrace which the main political parties need to be address as they spell out their policies for what they would do if they form the next Government."

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House building has plummeted to its lowest level since 1946 and the signs are not optimistic that the situation will improve according to the FMB.

Mr Diment continued: "What we need is a complete review of the barriers that currently prevent potential house builders entering the housing market including the amount of money developers have to pay to build new homes . The introduction of a new tariff system to replace existing contributions to local authorities through Section 106 agreements as well as the newly introduced Community Infrastructure Levy would be a great start."

(CD/GK)