There was great news today with the announcement of 36,284 new housing unit completions, a 20% increase on the 2024 figures and the largest number since we started recording these figures. I meet people every day who believe that owning their own home is beyond their reach but when we sit down and go through the figures, it often becomes clear that with the help-to-buy scheme and the first home scheme, home ownership may be achievable for them. I have no doubt that a huge number of people out there do not know these schemes exist or do not understand how they work and as a result, they never even try to buy a home. We need to review how these schemes are promoted because the evidence on the ground is that the current approach is not working. Far too many people remain unaware that these supports are available and continue to believe that home ownership is out of their reach when, in reality, it is not.

Sentiment score: 0.37