Further clarification on issues surrounding the HIP have today emerged from Grant Shapps’ office. In reply to a letter sent to Mr Shapps by an energy assessor who like many of his colleagues is concerned about the loss of livelihood if the HIP is abolished, the Conservative Party has once again questioned the necessity for the HIP stating it:
‘.... believe(s) that if they (HIPs) are in fact an effective and efficient means of compiling important documents relating to a home and a useful source of information in the home buying process then they will survive in the market without the need for legislation’.
Ignoring the fact all attempts over the past 75 years to introduce, through voluntary take up schemes, such as protocols, have failed miserably, the letter then goes on to explain the reason for wishing to implement policy that will clearly throw us all back into the dark ages:
‘To clarify, we do not claim that HIPs have caused the financial problems which have pervaded in the economy over the period of their existence, but the continuation of such a costly piece of bureaucracy has harmed the market and created unnecessary costs for sellers in an already depressed market. All of the figures quoted have used the Government’s own estimates of HIPs produced and estimated average costs, obtained via Parliamentary Questions. Any problems with their basis should therefore be taken up with the Department for Communities and Local Government’.
At long last we have official acknowledgement from the Conservative Party that the HIP is not the cause for the collapse of last year of the property market. Halleluiah! Instead the focus is on how the HIP is costing the consumer more to move home. When will the Conservative Party ‘get it’, the HIP has led to lower conveyancing costs and the removal of the 1 million pounds per day lost in failed transactions. It is a simple set of fact but one that is continuously overlooked.
Asked about the Home Buying Survey commissioned back in 2007 and why the Conservative Party has consistently refused to disclose the findings Mr Shapps explains:
‘We undertook to review home buying during a very different climate for the market and we continue to monitor the market’s recovery and regularly receive testimonials from buyers and sellers describing their experiences and offering their thoughts on how the system could be improved. Grant will always pay keen attention to such correspondence and it is used to inform future policy.’
Sorry, but this is nonsense and Mr Shapps knows it is. We are all bright enough to view results in light of changes in market conditions and as the market is picking up and will inevitably go through a similar cycle why not let us see what the survey revealed. The truth must be that it does not support the policy Mr Shapps is pushing.
Strangely when asked about the affect his policy will have upon the spirit of entrepreneurialism, and how it will lead to job losses, instead of offering to see if there is an alternative route of achieving his aim but one which would have less impact, the response focuses on how political ideology seems to be the only factor that is important to Mr Shapps. His office writes:
‘ As you so rightly point out, Conservatives believe that entrepreneurs and others who work hard to benefit themselves, their families and the economy are the bedrock of a flourishing economy and are vital to any economic recovery. However, we do not believe that imposing bureaucracy and red-tape is the best means by which to encourage entrepreneurialism’.
Banging one’s head against a brick wall comes to mind when the response ends with a reiteration of the fact the policy thinking has always been consistent and that as the EPC is to be retained we should all be grateful. Interestingly his office is still labouring under the delusion that the policy is a popular one and will win votes. They say:
‘We have set out our stall and have always been consistent about our intention to abolish Home Information Packs. We will however maintain and enhance Energy Performance Certificates and leave it to the electorate to decide whose plans are best for the housing market’.
I believe he is wrong and that the Conservative Party is underestimating the power and influence of the industry when it comes to engaging with and educating homeowners. The problem is that rather than speaking with those who are engaging as grass root level , Mr Shapps is instead putting too much emphasis on feedback from a very small section of the property industry.
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