Local house building firms are vital to developing more homes and solving the UK's housing crisis, according to Labour's Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning John Healey.

During a visit to a housing development in Sheffield last week, Mr Healey said the share of new homes being built by small and medium-sized builders "has fallen to little more than 25% in recent years, compared to two thirds in the late 1980s".

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"This is one reason why we are currently failing to build the number of new homes we need," he said.

"We need more of these smaller, locally-based house builders and we need them to be able to grow and increase their output."

Walt Selby, General Manager of family-owned firm W. Redmile & Sons, added: "As a company, we've been building homes for local people since the 1950s. However, the planning system as it currently works can make this inordinately difficult to do.

"There are lots of ways in which the planning process could be improved to the benefit of everyone, and we want to work in partnership with local councils and local communities to achieve this."

(LM/MH)