Welsh Labour has refused to extend its home-buying support scheme ‘Help to Buy Cymru’ to rural Wales, it was confirmed today.
Responding to a question from Antoinette Sandbach AM, Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, the Labour Government confirmed that the scheme would not be extended.
Help to Buy Cymru currently only applies to new build properties, but the construction of new-build properties in rural areas is rare.
Antoinette Sandbach said, “The Labour Party has turned its back on rural Wales.
“This latest snub is further evidence of a Labour Government which does not understand the needs of people in rural communities.
“Many people continue to be priced out of rural communities and forced to live away from their loved ones due to high house prices.
“While there is support in urban areas for homebuyers, there is very little for families in rural areas who seem to have been abandoned.”
Mark Isherwood AM, Shadow Minister for Housing & Communities, said, “I am very disappointed that Labour Ministers continue to refuse to help homebuyers in rural areas.
“While Help to Buy Cymru was intended to apply to new builds, the number of new-build properties being constructed in rural areas is extremely low, effectively pricing people out of their own community.
“Labour’s Help to Buy scheme is too prescriptive and needs to be revised because it will be seen as yet another Labour snub to families in rural Wales.”
