A new report from the Institute for Government has emphasised that if the government is serious about meeting its housebuilding ambitions, it must prioritise national targets over local objections.

The report, which draws on interviews with current and former politicians, officials, housebuilders and experts, states that successive governments have not dealt with the fundamental problem that local objections to development have overridden national housing targets.

The IfG pointed out that the most successful planning reforms in recent decades have been top-down measures that make it harder for local authorities to fail to plan and grant permissions for enough new housing to meet local needs.