Brown pledges 'immediate' help for first time buyers

25-Jun-2007

Incoming prime minister Gordon Brown has said that he will provide "immediate" help to first time buyers looking to get onto the property ladder, but noted that the private sector must also play its part.

Building more houses was now "a national priority" that must be addressed, Mr Brown said on the BBC's Politics Show over the weekend.

"We've got to look at whether the arrangements that govern the building of housing, both to rent and to buy, are going to get us the results that we need, which is to meet the demand, particularly of young couples wanting to get onto the housing ladder for the first time, frustrated they're not able to do," he commented.

"In other words, we've got a national priority to build more houses and of course the private sector will build almost the biggest share of them," added the new Labour leader.

Stewart Baseley, head of the Home Builders Federation, said last week that it was vital such promises were fulfilled this time around.

"Every politician in the past ten to 15 years has said that he will address housing issues. The time for talk is over. It is time to take action," Mr Baseley noted in an interview with the Times.

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