Increasing Home Ownership 2022-01-24
2022-01-24
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The question stems from the government's efforts to increase home ownership through various schemes.
What steps his Department is taking to increase home ownership. Since 2010, Government-backed schemes have helped over 756,000 households to purchase their own dream home. Last June, we launched our new flagship First Homes scheme, providing homes discounted by at least 30% for first-time buyers.
As a Government we are determined to level up opportunities across our country, and that starts with building the homes that our people need. Since 2010, Government-backed schemes have helped over 756,000 households to purchase their own dream home. Last June, we launched our new flagship First Homes scheme, providing homes discounted by at least 30% for first-time buyers.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The question builds on the previous inquiry about increasing home ownership, specifically asking for acceleration of delivery and a name change to improve understanding.
First Homes is an excellent initiative that could deliver homes in my constituency for local first-time buyers at even below half price. Will the Minister accelerate their delivery through section 106 agreements, pilot their delivery on public sector land in my constituency, and rename the policy from First Homes to “Half-Price Homes”, because then people would understand it much more clearly?
My hon. Friend, who is a doughty campaigner for home ownership, teases me. He wishes me to call First Homes “Half-Price Homes”. Perhaps that will become the shorthand name for this project. As to his other questions, we are already commissioning First Homes properties on both public and private sector land through our two early delivery programmes.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not specifically address acceleration via Section 106 agreements or the renaming suggestion.
Teases Me
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The question comes in response to the government's planning-by-algorithm reform being scrapped, asking for more tailored housing support such as new schemes.
The whole nation breathed a sigh of relief when the Government's planning-by-algorithm so-called reforms were ditched. My constituent Heidi has kept a small hairdressing business going throughout the pandemic but is not eligible for Help to Buy. Will the Minister look at introducing more schemes that would help people like her? We also want things that will preserve suburban character, because all the build-to-let things going up locally, up to 60 storeys high, are destroying everything that people liked about Ealing and Acton.
We certainly want people such as Heidi to achieve the home that they want. Through Help to Buy, right to buy, right to acquire, help to build and a variety of mechanisms including our 95% fixed-term mortgage guarantee there is a multiplicity of ways in which we can get people on to the housing ladder.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not address introducing new schemes for small business owners or preserving suburban character.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The question arises from concerns that local communities may be overruled by central government decisions regarding housing land supply.
I am sure the Minister would agree that by far the best people to decide how many homes we want and where they should be are local people. Would he therefore agree with me and the town of Malmesbury in my constituency, which raised the point that the neighbourhood plan, which this Conservative Government brought in, is currently being trumped by the so-called five-year housing land supply figures, which are handed down by central Government? Will he give me a hint as to whether greater importance will be given in the forthcoming housing White Paper to neighbourhood planning?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question because it gives me the opportunity to make it clear that it is for local communities to determine how many homes they want and need in their vicinity. Local housing need numbers are not an end point; they are a starting point.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not confirm if neighbourhood planning will be prioritised in the White Paper or specify what changes might occur.
Response accuracy