Help to Buy scheme "not intended to help people buy more than one home," says DCLG

“The government wants both current and future generations to experience the benefits of owning their own home, in the same way their parents and grandparents were able to," said the DCLG in a statement.

“As well as pulling out all the stops to get new homes built, the government wants to help everyday families with their cost of living. New legislation has given councils the flexibility to remove council tax relief on second homes and use the money to keep overall council tax bills down.”

The DCLG has issued the statement in response to press reports suggesting that the Help to Buy scheme, which will provide share equity loans to purchasers of new build homes, would help people buy second homes.

Planning Minister Nick Boles has subsequently been reported to have made comments about the scheme at a reception for a group of senior property figures. He was reported to have said that he "couldn't care who owns" the homes.

“With respect to the comments that have been attributed to the Planning Minister on second home ownership, contrary to some press reporting, he was not asked and made no comment on the new Help to Buy scheme announced in the Budget. He was simply asked his opinion on the relative importance of building homes for rent versus homes for sale," said the DCLG.

The DCLG also commented on the Budget announcement that the Government would consult on "allowing further flexibilities between use classes", including changes from agricultural and retail to residential.

“Further liberalisation of changes of use which is mentioned in the Budget will make it easier to convert existing developed property into homes which will reduce the number of houses that need to be built on green fields. This is about making use of what’s already there, converting unused, unviable buildings into homes without the need for red tape," the DCLG said.