Britain’s woeful undersupply of housing at an affordable price can be partially blamed on shareholder handouts paid by the country’s biggest housebuilders, a new report claims.
Research published by Sheffield Hallam University found the eight largest UK housebuilders have paid £16billion in dividends over the last 18 years, with investors handed the equivalent of £22,000 per new home built in 2022 alone.
The researchers say dividends paid between 2016 and 2021 alone exceed the £8.8billion the Government spent on its