ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the “government” involvement in the property industry and provides an account of the structure of government. It shows how politicians are elected, describes the formation of a policy and its passage to enactment and outlines government policies affecting the property industry. The ways in which government affects property is explored by examining the range of powers and broad functions of international, national, provincial and local government in the UK. The UK’s membership of the European Union (EU) has resulted in a substantial body of EU law, being incorporated into UK law, much of which directly impinges on property, for example, value added tax. The transition to region-based government is a recent phenomenon in the UK. The traditional functions of local government have changed with the introduction of the regional structure and further developments may arise. In the UK, national elections, the government is formed from the political party with a majority in the House of Commons.
