Iain Wright, under secretary of state for communities and local government, has spoken exclusively to Housbuilder to refute claims that the growing cost burden of meeting the standards contained in the code for sustainable homes is in conflict with the government’s new homes targets. The minister insisted: “If we are not careful we will be seeing these as two contradictory objectives: meeting the challenge of three million new homes by 2020 and addressing climate change. “These two objectives must be married up. Energy performance certificates, the code for sustainable homes: these measures are all part of a coherent package, which marries up the provision of the homes we need while making sure the environmental efficiency of these homes is appropriate to meet future challenges.”<br>