OWNING a home has always been one of the great markers of independence and security.

For generations, it has represented the moment when a young person, or a young couple, can plant roots, plan a family and start building for the future.

Yet for far too many today, that step feels impossibly out of reach. In my conversations across the constituency, I hear the same frustration time and again from younger people.

They are working hard, saving carefully, and still finding the door to home ownership stubbornly closed.

The numbers tell their own story. The average age of a first time buyer in the UK has now climbed to 34, compared with around 29 in the late 1990s.

The average UK home costs £268,000, rising to £290,000 in England and roughly £316,000 here in Devon.

Saving a deposit on those figures, while paying rent and meeting the rising cost of everyday essentials, is a mountain to climb.

On top of that comes Stamp Duty, a tax that hits buyers at the very moment they are stretching every penny to complete a purchase.

Since April last year, the threshold at which first time buyers begin paying Stamp Duty fell from £425,000 to £300,000.

The share of first time buyers liable for the tax has roughly doubled, from around 21 percent to about 42 percent.

For home movers, around 83 percent now pay Stamp Duty on their next purchase, up from 49 percent.

A first time buyer purchasing a £425,000 home now faces a Stamp Duty bill of £6,250. Receipts from Stamp Duty Land Tax reached £13.9 billion in 2024 to 2025, a 20 percent increase on the year before.

That is why I believe a future Conservative government should abolish Stamp Duty on primary residences.

Removing this tax on the family home would help younger people get on the ladder sooner, give growing families the confidence to move, and allow older homeowners to downsize without losing thousands in the process.

Freeing up movement at every stage of the market would, in turn, increase the supply of available homes, support construction and give the wider economy a welcome lift.

Home ownership matters. It builds security, encourages saving and strengthens communities.

In a county like ours, where so many young people grew up locally and want to stay close to family, the ability to buy a first home is also about keeping our villages and market towns alive.

We need to make that ambition achievable again.

I will keep listening to constituents across Central Devon on housing and the wider cost pressures families face. Please do get in touch if there are issues I can help with.

Facebook: Mel Stride MP X: @MelJStride Instagram: @melstridemp Website: www.melstridemp.com