PA in Parliament

In her recent visit to the House of Commons to meet Minister for Housing and Local Government, the Rt. Hon. Grant Shapps MP, Laura Richardson discussed the important role played by PAs in all sectors of employment and the need for affordable housing for lower salaried employees in the UK. During the discussion the Minister reported forthcoming announcements which were subsequently revealed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in this week’s Budget.

Laura said: “This was not my first visit to the Commons but it was my first as the ‘PA of the Year’ lobbying on behalf of APA and its Members. I enjoyed the exchange with the Minister; he listened attentively and clearly understood the role played by PAs, he thoroughly endorsed and shared our passion for their importance.

The following Housing measures were announced this week.

• Bank levy to fund 250m to help first time buyers buy newly built homes
• New Government-backed shared equity scheme to help 10,000 first time buyers

APA welcome the announcements but encourages the government to introduce reductions in income tax to make more disposable income available to fund housing costs for first time buyers and especially young professionals.

APA