A Suffolk company boss is critical of the "fiscal fandango" which preceded the Budget today and hopes lessons have been learned.
Lee Barnard, chief executive of Denbury Homes in Bury St Edmunds, said the long 12-week lead-in had dampened the housing market and prompted negative speculation.
This was capped by an embarrassing leak of the Office for Budgetary Responsibility's Budget assessment just before Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves was due to deliver her speech.
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Deputy House of Commons Speaker Nusrat Ghani also gave the government a roasting for giving away parts of the Budget before the Chancellor of the Exchequer's speech, describing it as a "supreme discourtesy to this House".
“Twelve weeks of rumour and speculation, leaks and trails, have had a negative impact on the last quarter of 2025, causing uncertainty and indecision among individuals and businesses," said Mr Barnard.
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"I hope that lessons are learnt from this and we don’t experience the same ‘fiscal fandango’ next year.”
It was a "relief" to hear the official announcements after such a long wait, he said, but he was disappointed in the lack of help for new entrants to the housing market.
“There is no help pledged for first time buyers and only minimal reference to the housebuilding industry," he said.
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"Without support at the first stage of home ownership we risk seeing the housing market stagnate.
"The Help to Buy equity scheme provided an essential stepping stone for those trying to get onto the housing ladder.
"Failing to bring forward any new scheme or support for this specific section of the market is a missed opportunity and one that impacts not only buyers but resonates throughout the supply chain through reduced employment and slower growth."
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No further support for planning reform was contained in the Budget following last year's easing of regulations, he said.
"It will be some time before changes they have made result in more houses being built," he warned.
"It would have been great to see acknowledgement that to deliver the government’s housing ambitions will require support throughout the process and not just for planning."
The construction sector delivers 6.4% of GDP and supports more than 800,000 jobs, he pointed out.
"For a government apparently committed to growth and with such a well-publicised housing target, the omission of any specific support for the industry feels like a missed opportunity," he said.
He welcomed the positive impact of increases in the national minimum wage and living wage but warned of the knock-on effect on costs in the supply chain as a result.
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