When the government promises to ‘build, baby, build’, it hopes to sound focused, ambitious and relentless – like simply nothing and no one is going to get in the way.

By the next election, the government says up to 12 new towns will be under construction, with red tape and environmental objections pushed aside. And about time, many will cry, as we begin to address the needs of the 1.3 million households currently on a local authority housing register, let alone making home ownership a reality for more people.

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