Theresa May has already expressed that it is her personal mission to ‘fix’ the current housing shortage in the UK, which is impeding on young people desperately trying to get on the property ladder.

She’s placed the production of housing at the forefront of the national agenda and will rewrite planning laws, as well as forcing private housebuilders to pull their weight and do what is necessary for Britain.

Tens of thousands of more homes are needed to keep up with the current levels of demand and there are fears that if the right steps aren’t taken, Britain will turn into a ‘rootless generation’, with people that never stay in one place for any significant length of time.

The crisis has caused much debate, with many politicians and architects stepping forward to share their thoughts about what is needed to address the housing shortage in the UK.

Just last week architect Patrik Schumacher expressed his opinions regarding affordable housing for millennials, stating that while properties still need be centrally located in cities such as London, they should be significantly smaller.

Generation rent is already struggling with crowded shared accommodation and the rising cost of renting, should the sacrifices being made go even further?

The number of people that own their own home has dropped significantly over the past 35 years and this can mainly be attributed to higher housing prices and lower earnings thanks to an increasingly strained economy. Most people in their 20s now spend almost two-fifths of their salary on rent, an eye-watering figure to say the least.

It’s interesting to consider the situation in London though, where zoning restrictions are meaning that wealth is being redistributed to homeowners and landowners.

Would an increase in the options that are available to renters, including more opportunities for co-living and smaller units open up the market and provide those that want it with the choices that they need?

We’ve already seen the introduction of micro-homes, minuscule flats barely bigger than the average bedroom but intended for two people to live in.

Perhaps these ever-shrinking properties say something about the values of working professionals, who prefer spending more time at work and enjoy evenings schmoozing in trendy central locations.

For some, smaller flats are probably fine, but for others, less room is certainly going to cramp their style.

Do you need financial support for a development project? Find out how we can help here. 

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With an increased pressure to sustain growth and concerns over the stability of the UK economy continuing to rise, it’s no wonder that 1 in 4 British workers have admitted to dealing with mental health issues in the workplace.

SMEs are the backbone of the British economy and in order to continue to provide jobs and key services across a plethora of sectors, consideration must be taken into how mental wellness can be boosted across organizations. 

Read on to find out how you can promote positive mental wellness within your SME.

Improve the communication channels

Social isolation is a prevalent issue at the moment in Britain, with the Prime Minister having recently appointed a Minster of Loneliness to combat the problem. Whether your team is small or large, you need to ensure that everyone feels as though their voice is heard and that communication is constant and open. To support this, you could arrange daily or weekly meetings where collaboration is encouraged between staff. Ensure that everyone gets involved and ask questions to elicit responses from the quieter members of your team. 

Offer a more flexible working environment

While it might seem counter-productive, giving your employees more freedom when it comes to the way that they work can actually help to boost morale and is likely to make them feel that their needs are more valued. You could give staff the opportunity to work remotely for a few days out of the week, which could in turn save you some money in terms of the cost of office space.

Encourage continued learning and development

We all want to feel as though our job role is evolving and changing as we get older, so to facilitate this, you need to encourage your staff to continue learning and developing their skills. You could offer in-house training or even fund staff members to go away and take a course to boost their credentials. Remember, doing so will be mutually beneficial. Having a highly-skilled workforce will give you an edge over competitors and is also going to make your staff feel more productive and accomplished in their job role.

Plan social events outside of work

Everyone needs some downtime where they can forget about the responsibilities of their job and arranging activities outside of work is a great way to encourage staff to get to know each other. If you are keen to do this, consider getting everyone to partake in a sporting event. Friendly competition is a great morale booster and a little bit of light exercise is also good for releasing endorphins.