‘Lay the groundwork before you lay the bricks’: Only 17 per cent of voters trust Labour’s new housing pledge

Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson CBE

Curia Advisory Board Member

Former Local Government Minister

The public wants more homes. That much is clear. But they don’t believe the Government can – or will – actually deliver them.

New polling from Opinium commissioned by policy institute, Curia presents a sobering message for ministers and opposition leaders alike: While the majority of people agree Britain needs more housing, faith in political promises to deliver that housing is in dangerously short supply.

Only 17 per cent of the public believe Labour will meet its house building pledge. Among the very voters most likely to support new development – so-called “YIMBYs” – more than two-thirds still doubt the party can deliver. The Conservatives fare even worse, and the Liberal Democrats barely register.

In an age of political distrust, it is not enough to be right on policy. You have to convince people you can follow through.

That’s Labour’s credibility challenge – and the Government’s delivery crisis.

The polling underscores a central contradiction that has haunted successive governments on housing policy for decades: While national support for new homes sits at a healthy net +37 per cent, that plummets to just +7 per cent when it comes to people’s own local areas. It’s not that people are inherently anti-housing.

It’s that they’ve seen promises made without infrastructure delivered. They’ve seen beauty and place sacrificed for volume and speed. And they’ve stopped believing that the system will act in their interests.

This isn’t just about “NIMBYs” vs “YIMBYs”. The data reveals a public torn between a national sense of urgency and a local sense of risk. Forty-five percent favour protecting local character by restricting development, while 37 per cent want more housing to address shortages and prices.

Few are fully convinced by either camp. Meanwhile, more than twice as many people think the planning system is failing than performing well.

So how can the Government – any government – bridge this divide?

The answer lies in rebuilding trust through tangible, place-based delivery. Nearly half the public say they would support more housing if homes were of high quality and in keeping with local character.

A similar proportion want infrastructure – transport, schools, services – to come first. Prioritising brownfield development remains a key trust signal.

There’s another insight buried in the data that policymakers must heed: People support infrastructure far more than housing. Net support for local infrastructure development sits at +42 per cent, compared to just +7 per cent for housing. Wastewater plants, rail links, and broadband projects all receive strong backing.

The public’s message is clear: Lay the groundwork before you lay the bricks.

Yet the Government’s narrative on innovation and reform still isn’t landing. Just 21 per cent think AI growth zones will benefit their area – and one-third of respondents admit they don’t even know what they are. That matters. When it comes to delivering housing and infrastructure, framing and familiarity are as important as policy detail.

Even widely assumed grievances – such as hostility to environmental protections – are being overstated. Only 14 per cent think current regulations are too restrictive. Many more believe they are too weak or about right. Even dormice win majority support for protection.

Final Thought

In short, this is not a public waiting to be persuaded with flashy announcements or combative rhetoric about planning reform. It is a public that is asking – politely but firmly – for competent, thoughtful, community-aligned delivery.

Labour now has a rare electoral window in which to act boldly on housing. But it must bring people with it – not just through national messaging, but through local trust-building and visible progress. The polling gives the blueprint. The question now is whether the political class has the courage, discipline, and humility to follow it.

Because the public doesn’t just want homes. They want to believe in the people building them.

Read the full Curia and Opinium report here.

Featured image via Lichtwolke / Shutterstock.