Housing stamp duty a concern

As many of you will know I am passionate about delivering affordable housing to the people of Shropshire so that they can live in the communities they come from if they wish. I watch all political parties to see how they will respond to this issue.

Labour is throwing money at the rented sector, in the main. In Wales, Plaid Cymru proposes to give all first time buyers £5,000, which will force house prices up, and now the Conservative party seems to think that simply raising the threshold for stamp duty will solve the problem.

How out of touch can a political party be with the rural areas? Can they really think that abolishing stamp duty will help the first time buyer in our neck of the woods?

If an average house costs about £230,000 to buy, our local people will need to be earning in excess of £55,000 a year to benefit from the stamp duty removal - this assumes that they can get a mortgage of four times their income.

Even if they can find a house at £160,000, and that may be difficult - especially in our villages, they will still need to earn about £40,000 a year.

And then there is the question of whether the removal of stamp duty will force house prices up again.

I am appalled that a political party can be so out of touch with how many people live in our constituency.

This will not deliver for our young people nor will it help save our communities.

It is ill thought through and based entirely on an urban view of the world

Heather Kidd, Lib Dem Leader, South Shropshire District Council