Baroness Seccombe (Con)

My Lords, in this short contribution, I will stress just one point. But first, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Eaton on procuring this debate. I take the opportunity to thank her for her copious contributions to the House and for the many years of service she has given to local government. I grew up with my mother and brother in my grandmother’s house. Ours was not possible to live in due to bomb activity during the war, so when I married, you can imagine the thrill of my husband and me about owning our own home. Early in our marriage, many years ago, we had a painter and decorator named Mr Brown—who was always called “Mr Brown”. He was a rather testy figure, particularly where his young assistant was concerned. One day, he told me that no one in his family had ever owned their home, and he was nervous about doing so. I suggested he talk to my husband, a solicitor, after which he took the plunge. Ever after that, he repeatedly told me that my husband had given him the best advice he had ever had. He was a proud owner and certainly made his home his castle. It mattered to him, as he felt he had a stake in society. Home ownership is always popular with the public. I remember the excitement when the right to buy was introduced, giving those who rented from local authorities the right to buy their council houses. It was remarkable how soon those houses looked different, as the owners cared for them and brightened them up. Some 65% of people now own their homes, but I hope we can find ways to increase that level of ownership. I hope the Government will realise the damage that has been done by their attitude to stamp duty. The value of properties today means that the deposits needed have increased dramatically, making the chance of owning your own home seem almost impossible. I believe it is a noble ambition to try to give future generations an opportunity to buy their own homes, and we have a responsibility to make it happen.