A 'build, build, build' programme that cuts funding from £2.4b to £1.5b per year for building the affordable homes the UK needs more than ever is worrying.

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Also worrying is the announcement of the First Homes trial.

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Our response to this proposal in April showed that the programme was unlikely to help those currently shut out of the housing market, and it would divert funds from much needed social housing to support for homeowners. https://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/default/files/jrf/first_homes_consultation_response.pdf

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The deposit amount for a 30% discounted home under First Homes is higher than an average first time buyer property in the secondary market in 5/9 regions in England, so wouldn't solve the problem of saving for a deposit in most regions

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For an individual working full time and earning an average income, a First Home property would remain unaffordable in every region in the UK - even if there was a 50% discount on the property.

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For key workers, things aren't much better

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And finally, the First Homes proposal risks the lifeline of social housing that is needed more than ever for thousands of households, in order to help those who are already close to homeownership.

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In the next month or so, as part of @jrf_uk 's economic discussion series on shaping a recovery that reduces poverty, @DarrenBaxter and I will be writing about how the housing sector can help stimulate our recovery, and how social housing can play a significant role in this.

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We can have a recovery from the coronavirus crisis that has both economic growth and people's wellbeing at the heart of it. We have a responsibility to ensure that we use this recovery to pull people out of poverty, and we can't waste it.

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