The key points:

• Lending boosted by Government guarantees
• £80m pumped into shared equity mortgage scheme
• £500m for downed-tools housing projects
• various moneys for energy efficient home building and renovation of armed forces housing
• -£175,000 Stemp Duty holiday extended to end of year

I know... crap, isn't it?

But the real housing budget isn't about housing at all. With this morning's unemployment figures showing a steady and alarming increase, and Darling's revised "growth" forecast at -3.5% for 2009, it's all about jobs. No job, no house purchase. No job, no mortgage repayment. No job, rental arrears. It's that simple. The real question is whether the jobs and training initiatives announced... £1.7bn for Job Centres, more training and work experience placings, more sixth form education places... can make any kind of a dent in dole queues.

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