POLITICIANS and industry must collaborate to build at least 14,000 homes a year in Wales by 2020 in order to tackle the housing crisis, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The call forms part of the FMB’s “Programme for Government”, which was launched at a cross-party event in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

The programme looks ahead to the UK General Election, but includes policy recommendations which are implementable by the Welsh Government and all devolved nations. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “In Wales we’re still only building around half the number of new homes required to meet the demand for housing.

Policy makers in Wales must work with industry to develop a robust housing strategy and commit to building at least 14,000 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.”

Berry continued: “Most political parties now recognise the vital role of SME house builders and 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 increasing the number of smaller sites suitable for development by smaller scale house builders.”

Berry concluded: “The construction industry, which includes housing, is vital to the health of the economy across the UK – for every £1 invested in construction, 92p stays within the UK. Construction is also central to delivering key social and environmental objectives, which is why we hope decision-makers in Wales will take on board all of the proposals contained within the FMB’s “Programme for Government”.