Help-To-Buy Scheme Pushes Housebuilder Dividends To £2.3bn

Britain’s biggest housebuilders paid out £2.3bn in dividends in their most recent financial year, as the help-to-buy subsidy pumped up their profits and house prices. The nine biggest housebuilders listed on the London Stock Exchange declared the dividend payouts in their last full financial years.   Help to buy, introduced in 2013 was one of the flagship policies of the coalition government. Former Conservative chancellor George Osborne hoped to boost home ownership among young people, as house price growth far outpaced wage growth. However, many economists believe the scheme boosted house prices without making a significant impact on the supply of new houses, enabling a profits bonanza for Britain’s biggest housebuilders and their shareholders. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/01/help-to-buy-pushes-uk-housebuilder-dividends-to-23bn