Government plans to raise the 0.4% threshold for the New Homes Bonus (NHB) in 2019/20 risks ‘putting the brakes on housebuilding schemes and growth-boosting projects,' Smith Square has warned.

In its response to a Whitehall consultation, which closed this week, the Local Government Association (LGA) cautioned against the move ‘at a time when the housing shortage is one of the biggest challenges facing the nation'.