The Bank of England will be given new powers to prevent the housing market from overheating, Chancellor George Osborne will announce later. These will include capping the size of mortgage loans compared to income or the value of the house. The new powers will be given to the Bank's Financial Policy Committee by the end of this Parliament. Mr Osborne will also announce reforms to planning laws designed to increase the supply of housing. These should provide permission for up to 200,000 new homes, the government says. Speaking this afternoon, Mr Osborne said: "I'm acting against future risks in the housing market by ... (full story)