Industry reacts to chancellor’s “plan for jobs”

The housebuilding industry has broadly welcomed the chancellor’s new “plan for jobs”, praising the increase of the stamp duty threshold to £500,000 and moves to help apprentices and young people at work. However there are calls for action to extend Help to Buy.

Greg Fitzgerald, ceo of Vistry Group, commented: “The announcement on stamp duty is hugely welcome and the timing could not be better. We believe this initiative will give customers the extra confidence needed to take the exciting step of owning a home or moving up the property ladder.”

Mark Booth, managing director of Hayfield, said: “We are delighted with the news. This will be a big financial help to lots of people who are looking to move onto or up the property ladder. “

And John Tonkiss, ceo at McCarthy & Stone, added: “The announcement is a no brainer to reinvigorate the economy and a step we wholeheartedly support. We’ve long argued that high moving costs have stunted the housing market. They keep older people stuck in large homes and prevent new chains being created that would ultimately benefit young people and first time buyers. The chancellor’s announcement should be extremely helpful to get people moving.”

Tom Nicholson, chief …