Today’s Budget announcement was full of hope for the future as investment in the economy is outlined for the next 12 months. We are heartened to see the essential support for the 4 million furloughed as well as the introduction of a 5% mortgage guarantee. Both will be crucial in the recovery from Covid, helping more people into home ownership and sustainable employment.
“We’re clear on our duty as a housing provider, working on behalf of 80,000 customers, and will do everything we can to help communities thrive following the challenging year we’ve all had.” – Caroline Moore, Chief Financial Officer
This year’s Budget was perhaps more anticipated than most. On many people’s minds was the extension of both the Universal Credit (UC) uplift and Stamp Duty ‘holiday’, of which Rishi Sunak delivered on. We welcome the confirmation of these extensions as we know how important they’ll be for our customers. Commenting on the UC news our Executive Director of Operations, Ralph Facey, said:
“We’re pleased to hear that the uplift to Universal Credit has been extended to provide additional support while the economic recovery from the pandemic gathers pace. We will continue to work with our customers to offer support to those who need it.”
The impact of Covid on communities has been significant, and unemployment is at a high. It’s imperative that we all come together to help find new routes into work and provide more training and skills support. With this in mind, we were pleased to hear that the furlough scheme has been extended, offering more protection to those employed but currently unable to carry out their duties. As advocates of small businesses and facilitator of self-employment course, Create, we also welcomed the news that another grant for those working in this area will be available, and with less restrictions.
“Helping solve the employment crisis is a top priority for us and the Government’s public commitment to supporting furloughed employees and those in self-employment is welcomed. There is much more to be done, and we will continue to work with our partners to provide training and create opportunities for communities to get back to work.” – Michelle Dawson, Managing Director of Community Services.
We were of course listening out for any and all announcements relating to the housing sector. Both the introduction of a mortgage guarantee to help people purchase a home with a 5% deposit and the extension of Stamp Duty ‘holiday’ will provide much relief to many. They will also make buying homes more accessible and support more people into home ownership.
“We welcome this fresh support for home ownership from the Chancellor. Abri has overseen the Help to Buy scheme in the south of England and we have witnessed the impact that this support has had in improving access to home ownership. We look forward to helping people get the home they want with the assistance of this new scheme.”
Executive Director of Strategy, Business Intelligence and HR
We were pleased to hear about the possibilities that will be created by the innovative freeports programme, and how these will support ambitious green targets that the government have. As a housing provider offsetting climate change is a real priority for us.
“Climate change is the challenge of a generation. We’ve set a clear vision and decarbonising our homes is going to play a crucial part. At the same time we’re building using Modern Methods of Construction to lessen environmental impact and meet our ambitious targets to deliver at least 1,000 homes a year for the next decade.” – Stephen Lodge, Executive Director of Development and Strategic Asset Management
The announcement of a further £19million for domestic abuse programmes was greatly welcomed in today’s announcement. This funding will play a key role in reducing risk and providing specialist support to those affected. Furthermore, £10million for veterans with mental health needs is going to make a big difference and we will be working with veterans in our Whitehill and Bordon community to name just one.
By working together across sectors we can help our country recover from the pandemic. We will continue to support the Government in reaching its housing targets and supporting communities to thrive following what has been an incredibly challenging 12 months.
The future holds much hope, and it’s clear that those who lead us are stepping up to make sure the road ahead is brighter for all.
