TRUSS HOUSING REVOLUTION

Leadership contender vows to ‘unlock’ home ownership for millions

- Martyn Brown

LIZ Truss vows to create a new generation of home- owners by delivering a radical overhaul of mortgage rules.

The move could unlock the dream of owning a home for half of Britain’s 4.4 million renters.

The Tory frontrunner wants rental payments included in assessments for mortgages if she becomes Prime Minister. She also plans to shred red tape holding back house building, and give local communities more say on developments.

Ms Truss said: “People are getting older and older before they get their foot on the property ladder. It’s a problem not just for the Conservative party, but for the future of the country.

“As Prime Minister I would break down barriers and unlock the opportunity of home ownership for millions of hard-working renters across the nation.

“I will also rip up red tape that’s holding back housebuilding and give more power to local communities.

“As a former councillor, I remember those painful hours sitting through planning committees.

“I’ll put power back in local councillors’ hands who know far better than Whitehall what their communities want.”

According to the Government, more than half of today’s renters could afford the monthly cost of a mortgage.

But various constraints mean only six per cent could immediately access a typical first-time buyer mortgage.