North Swindon MP Welcomes Excellent New Help To Buy Statistics

Justin Tomlinson MP has welcomed new figures showing that the Conservatives’ Help to Buy scheme is helping families to achieve their dream of buying their own home.

In total 281 people have been able to access an affordable mortgage and get on the housing ladder in Swindon

Across the UK, Help to Buy has helped over 73,000 families buy their own home – with over 80% of sales going to first-time buyers. This comes in the same week as the Halifax revealed that over 325,000 first-time buyers brought their own home in 2014, up 22 per cent on 2013 and the highest number since 2007.

Help to Buy is benefiting all parts of the country and the scheme is also giving developers the confidence they need to build, with housebuilding now at its highest level since 2007.

Despite this Labour want to cut back and restrict Help to Buy – which would make it harder for people to access an affordable mortgage and get on the housing ladder. In addition, Ed Miliband has said that the Labour Party would scrap the New Homes Bonus, a scheme that provides money to local authorities.  Since 2011, this scheme has provided £19.4million to Swindon Borough Council and if Labour the programme, it may jeopardise the £6.1million that Swindon has been allocated for next year.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: "Thanks to Labour’s Great Recession the prospect of buying a first home was nothing more than a pipe dream for many thousands of hardworking taxpayers in Britain. That’s why the Conservatives, as part of our long-term economic plan, launched Help to Buy which has so far helped 281 families in North Swindon buy their own home and is playing a major part in increasing the number of new homes being built. This means 281 more families able to achieve their dream of homeownership and enjoy the security and peace of mind that comes with that. Help to Buy is a key part of our long-term economic plan that is helping people to buy their own home and, together with cutting income tax and freezing fuel duty, is backing those who work hard and get on find the financial security they deserve."