Chris Handy, Chief Executive at the Accord Group, has responded to today’s promise by David Cameron make 200,000 homes available to first-time buyers in England by 2020. He said:
“I support the need to get Britain building again, but we are already building less than half of the number of new homes we need in the UK. Therefore shouldn’t the focus be inclusive of everyone rather than just building 200,000 homes for the young who ‘work hard’?
“Lots of people of all ages work hard and have done so for many years, yet still cannot afford to buy their own home. Many too have to rely on benefits – yet these are being cut, so owning their home will be just a dream.
“There is a housing crisis due to a huge and growing shortage. The National Housing Federation Homes for Britain campaign backs the need for more homes.
We should not be building for one group of people. We need to focus on building more sustainable and affordable homes, in sustainable areas which in turn will create much needed jobs for everyone.
“There are always going to be people who can’t afford to buy, so we need greater investment in a range of tenures, creating mixed communities and where housing is affordable for all.”