The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has reacted with disappointment to Alistair Darling’s first Budget for failing to provide first-time buyers with the help they so urgently need. Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman says: “This Budget ignores the vast majority of first-time buyers, leaving them without the help they need to make the first step onto the housing ladder. “Whilst simplification of the Stamp Duty system for shared ownership is welcome, the Chancellor has left the vast majority of would-be first time buyers high and dry, ignoring our plea to raise the Stamp Duty threshold to £250,000 which would have exempted 90% of first-time buyers. “Extension of contaminated land relief and backdated Stamp Duty exemptions for Zero Carbon flats are moves in the right direction, as is the go-ahead for the Zero-carbon homes 2016 Delivery Unit. “However, the Government’s new figures show we are already slipping behind housing targets by 40,000 a year – to deliver the numbers of homes we need, local planning authorities must identify many more new sites for housing development.” - Ends - Notes to Editors: The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is the principal trade federation for private sector home builders and voice of the home building industry in England and Wales. The HBF’s 300 member firms account for some 80% of all new homes built in England and Wales in any one year, and include companies of all sizes, ranging from multi-national, household names through regionally based businesses to small local companies: www.hbf.co.uk Figures published in the Budget show net additions to the housing stock in England of 199,000 homes in 2006-07, compared to the Government’s target of 240,000 per year by 2016. For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Francis Mallinson 020 7404 5344 07899 751138 francis.mallinson@portlandpr.co.uk
