OPINION
WORLD
TV presenter and property expert Jonnie Irwin gives his thoughts and views on first time buyers and the housing market
Us Brits like a bit of a moan don’t we? I try to be positive but can’t help joining in sometimes and before I know it, I too am having a good old whinge. Take the other day; the sun was out and I’m always a lot happier when it is. Granted, there’s not a lot of meat on me and with suffering from Raynaud’s Syndrome (which transforms me into a shivering wimp with numb fingers even on some summer days) I sure feel the cold! If I’m honest, it makes living up in Newcastle slightly less enjoyable. If you’ve ever been up to The Toon you’ll know the locals don’t mind the cold. It’s worth a night out up here just to witness how few clothes they wear in the snow; in fact you can tell a non-local by the fact they’re wearing a coat! In my opinion, it’s the people up here that make the city. Super friendly and positive – that is, until the sun comes out. Then they suddenly start moaning. Maybe it’s because the local attitude is so positive that it comes as a bit of a surprise, but the complaining about the warmer weather is astounding. I thought everyone loved the summer! Having opinions that might surprise or go against the perceived wisdom is one of the cornerstones of a free society. We’ve all suffered the disappointment of hearing how one of our favourite stars is a member of the NRA and is anti-gun control or anti-abortion, or maybe a close friend reveals they are a fervent Brexiteer or worse still, an Arsenal fan! Yes, we’ve all had the conversation with a friend or relative who has a very different opinion on something. If you can get around the initial surprise it can often lead to an enlightening conversation. Shame that most of the time it leads to an argument. That’s my issue with social media, it polarises opinion and brings out the extreme. I for one, now a bit older, enjoy hearing an unexpected opinion from someone, probably because I have a few of my own. Take Boris Johnson’s idea of allowing tenants to buy their council-owned home at a discount. I believe it’s also mooted to cover housing associations and long-term tenants in the private sector. Now being a longtime supporter of first time buyers and making efforts to highlight some of the challenges they face you might well presume I’m a big supporter of Johnson’s plan. I am not. Without getting too political, it just sounds like an attempt to bring out a shiny new policy that gets lots of people talking and pulls our attention from say “partygate” or the “cost of living crisis”. Cynical? You bet I am. Politics aside, there’s also a very good reason why I don’t support this potential new policy and that’s because it’s a bad idea! It’s
fantastic that as a first time buyer you can access a discount, and even better that you could forgo the hassle and expense of moving house. Yes, I’m all for economic and social empowerment, but not to the detriment of more needy people. If we sell off the council houses how do we help families who have a need but not the money to pay rent in the private sector? When Margaret Thatcher rolled out this policy under her premiership, it left a hole in the property kaleidoscope. Where do all the people who qualify for council homes now go if these potential homes are to be sold off? You’re effectively removing a housing option from the people most in need. We all talk about the property ladder and how important it is to get your feet on the first rung, but there’s also a requirement to help people have basic shelter. Of course, it can raise some much-needed money for the local councils and Government but although half the proceeds of the sales in the original scheme were paid to the local authorities, the Government restricted their use of most of the money to reducing their debt rather than spending it on building more homes. That’s good news that we are reducing debt but when the local authorities need to replace that housing it sounds like robbing Peter to pay Paul. Then consider that this policy could be extended to the private rental sector. There seems to be an appetite for assuming that landlords are evil, Dickensian rich types. There’s good ones just the same as there are good and bad tenants. The private rental market is an important part of the property sphere and works alongside the Government schemes of council houses and housing associations. Because of this it should be protected, there’s far too much reliance on the private sector shouldering responsibility for social needs – a Government’s work. Add to all of this, the original policy was abused by relatives buying homes at a discount and selling them to make a quick buck. One report claimed that more than 40% of council houses sold under the scheme in London are now rented out privately. Councils in the capital are also spending at least £22m a year renting back their former homes to house homeless families, according to data released under Freedom of Information. There’s even been reports of councils buying back the properties for six times the figure they sold them for! To me its sounds flawed and rushed – the sort of thing a desperate PM might come out with when he’s worried about his position. Let’s just hope it was one of BJ’s many distraction tactics!
First Time Buyer August/September 2022
FTB 08-09 Jonnies-World August-September22.indd 9
9
12/07/2022 13:19