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The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has congratulated
Andy Burnham on his appointment as Prime Minister, welcoming the new Government’s focus on housing, while urging ministers to address the challenges preventing the industry from delivering the homes we need. We look forward to working with his Government to turn its housing ambitions into reality. The Government has taken steps to support housing delivery through planning reform, but to reverse the decline in housing supply we need to move beyond planning and tackle the wider barriers holding back supply. Homebuilders stand ready to deliver the homes the country needs, but can only do so if conditions are right. The Government’s housing ambitions depend on a thriving private sector, so there is an opportunity to ensure policy is aligned
CALL TO ACTION
Will new Prime Minister Andy Burnham seize the chance to make radical reforms to help first time buyers? Kay Hill looks at the changes the Fabian Society are urging him to adopt
As Britain’s seventh Prime Minister in a decade gets settled into the hot seat, pressure groups are urging him to push the plight of first time buyers up the political agenda. One of the loudest voices comes from left-wing think tank the Fabian Society, which is proposing a scheme called First Step, that it says would help 136,000 first time buyers in England on to the property ladder in just five years. The Fabian Society, in conjunction with The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB), published a report in the summer called On the Ladder: Helping those Without Generational Wealth become Homeowners , which outlines a series of proposals that it says will help first time buyers, boost housebuilding, and be good value for the taxpayer. While many are calling for a straightforward return to the Help to Buy equity loan scheme that helped 330,000 buyers from 2013 to 2023, First Step has significant differences and would be firmly targeted towards less affluent buyers – especially those without access to the Bank of Mum and Dad. Authors of the report, Ben Cooper and Palma Oxley, noted that in most cases Help to Buy supported those who could have bought a home even without Government help. “One survey found 61% of those who used Help to Buy were able to buy a bigger property sooner than planned. This should not be seen as unequivocally negative, considering 65% of first time buyers are couple households, and 25% have dependent children, so it is likely to have helped many to afford a property more suited to their needs. Nonetheless, it is a policy failure if a scheme designed to help people on to the property ladder predominantly supports
For too many people, the dream starts to feel out of reach
with that objective. Reducing the cost
burden on development, supporting homebuyers and providing long- term policy certainty will restore con dence, unlock investment and enable the industry to deliver the step change in housing supply the country needs.
Neil Jefferson , Chief Executive, the Home Builders Federation
94 First Time Buyer October/November 2026
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