Keir Starmer's 2024 'Plan for Change' Targets Key UK Public Sectors
In December 2024, Keir Starmer announced a comprehensive 'plan for change' targeting measurable improvements in housing, health, living standards, crime, education, and energy sectors. The plan includes specific milestones to be tracked for accountability throughout the Parliament.
Regarding housing, the aim is to deliver 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England by 2029, measured by net additional dwellings. Currently, about 200,000 homes are built per year, which is below the 300,000 per year implied by the target. Delivery is expected to accelerate in later years, with progress tracked using EPC-based quarterly indicators.
In health, the pledge is that 92% of patients in England will be seen within 18 weeks by the end of the Parliament. As of October 2025, the latest official data shows this figure at 61.7%, with the last time 92% was achieved being in 2015. Waiting-list data are released roughly six weeks after the end of each month.
For living standards, the plan aims to raise real household disposable income per person during the Parliament. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts approximately 0.5% annual growth, while GDP per head is forecasted to rise about 1% in 2025.
On crime, there is a commitment to add 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs, and volunteers in neighbourhood policing by the end of the Parliament. The Home Office has not broken down the figure by category. As of 31 March 2025, there were 17,175 neighbourhood policing full-time equivalents. Detailed figures are scheduled for release in January 2026 with semi-annual updates thereafter.
In education, the target is that 75% of five-year-olds achieve a good level of development by the start of school. In 2024-25, this figure was 68.3%. Corresponding data for 2027-28 is due in November 2028.
Finally, on clean power, the goal is to reach at least 95% clean power by 2030, revised from an earlier zero-carbon electricity target. The National Energy Statistics Office in November 2024 stated that this is feasible but at the limit. In 2024, the clean power share was 73.8%, with quarterly updates available via Energy Trends.
