The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is calling on the Government and industry to work together to develop at least 200,000 homes a year by 2020.

The call forms part of the FMB's 'Programme for Government' which was launched in Parliament on Wednesday.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: "In England we're only building around half the number of new homes required to meet the demand for housing. Regardless of which party or parties take the reins in May 2015, the next government must work with industry to develop a robust housing strategy and commit to building at least 200,000 new homes a year by 2020. This is a realistic target and one that can be achieved if we remove barriers to small local builders.

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"It's encouraging that all three main political parties now recognise the vital role of SME house builders and now accept that we will never meet the demand for new homes without more of these firms building a greater proportion of our homes. Key issues which must be addressed in the short and medium-term include improved access to finance for small firms and the importance of local authority planning departments having the resource they need to do their jobs properly."

(CD/MH)