{"id":1143406,"date":"2026-08-11T23:23:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T23:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1143406\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T23:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T23:23:26","slug":"tax-alert-andy-burnham-told-to-act-now-and-scrap-stamp-duty-help-millions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1143406\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax alert: Andy Burnham told to ‘ACT NOW’ and scrap stamp duty help millions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being called to “act now” and scrap a controversial property tax ahead of this year’s Budget from Chancellor John Healey.<\/p>\n

Bellway has called on the Labour Government to slash stamp duty without delay, arguing the move is essential to kickstart a recovery in the UK housing market.<\/p>\n

The Newcastle-headquartered housebuilder, which sits on the FTSE 250, issued the plea alongside a warning that near-term demand remains “uncertain” as escalating construction costs and stretched consumer finances continue to weigh on the sector.<\/p>\n

Elevated mortgage rates have dampened appetite for new-build homes across the industry, with Bellway among those feeling the impact.<\/p>\n

\"Andy<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham is being told to axe stamp duty <\/p>\n

| GETTY<\/p>\n

The builder’s call comes despite delivering improved annual results, with completions and profits both rising over the past year.<\/p>\n

Chief executive Jason Honeyman made clear that Government intervention is needed to revitalise the market and open doors for aspiring homeowners.<\/p>\n

He said: “With the near-term outlook remaining uncertain, we call on the Government to act now to improve access to housing across all tenures, both by helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder and supporting the delivery of affordable and social housing for those who need it most.”<\/p>\n

Beyond stamp duty relief, Bellway is pushing for a state-backed deposit support scheme aimed at first-time buyers.<\/p>\n

\"JohnJohn Healey is the new Chancellor | GETTY \"ManProperty prices have continued climbing while tax-free thresholds remain static | GETTY <\/p>\n

Mr Honeyman argued that such measures would “drive economic growth and accelerate the delivery of much-needed new homes across the country” while easing the affordability squeeze currently holding back purchasers.<\/p>\n

The company reported that housing completions rose 10.8 per cent to 9,695 homes for the year ending July 31, compared with the prior twelve months.<\/p>\n

Underlying operating profits are expected to have climbed to approximately \u00a3320million, up from \u00a3303.5million a year ago.<\/p>\n

Bellway noted an encouraging start to the spring selling season, but acknowledged that buyer interest had cooled since April as mortgage rates ticked higher.<\/p>\n

\"StampThe current stamp duty framework requires buyers in England and Northern Ireland to pay tax on properties exceeding \u00a3125,000 | GETTY<\/p>\n

The firm described this shift as a “moderation” in customer demand, reflecting broader caution among prospective purchasers navigating tighter borrowing conditions.<\/p>\n

Mr Honeyman struck an upbeat tone on the firm’s internal progress, saying: “Bellway has delivered a robust performance and growth in volume output, despite ongoing headwinds for our industry.” <\/p>\n

He pointed to a disciplined approach to operations and capital allocation as key factors underpinning stronger cash generation and improved returns for shareholders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being called to “act now” and scrap a controversial property tax ahead of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1143407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[6],"tags":[8916,51,388,1232,285,2516,1200,16,3106,15],"class_list":["post-1143406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-andy-burnham","tag-business","tag-lifestyle","tag-money","tag-politics","tag-property","tag-tax","tag-uk","tag-uk-politics","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117079454934964820","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1143406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1143406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1143406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1143407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1143406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1143406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1143406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}