Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help increase levels of home ownership, in the context of her proposals to maintain levels of Housing Benefit.

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. This government is determined to change that, ensuring that young families and hardworking renters can buy a home of their own.

Boosting the supply of homes of all tenures must be at the heart of any strategy to improve housing affordability which is why the government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament.

In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, we are committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme, to support first-time buyers who struggle to save for a large deposit, with lower mortgage costs

This sits alongside our continued commitment to housing support, with the increase to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates in April 2024 costing an additional £1.2 billion in 2024/25 and approximately £7 billion over five years. LHA rates have been maintained at their current levels for 2025/26.