Chancellor George Osborne joins Mark Spencer on the campaign trail in Clipstone

He was in Clipstone with Mark Spencer, who is hoping to retain the Sherwood seat for the Conservatives on 7th May, to visit a young Clipstone couple who have just bought their first home through the Government’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme.

The Chancellor and Mr Spencer went to Taylor Wimpey’s Kings Acre development where they spoke with first-time buyers Charlotte Spencer and Christian Speight as well as apprentices at the site.

Said Mr Osborne: “Mark Spencer wanted me to come to Clipstone so see the young families we’re helping to buy their own homes. Mark is such a strong voice for Sherwood, rooted in the community and with clear plans to get more jobs and investment there.

“It was great to meet Christian and Charlotte, who are so excited about their new home - and Kyle, the apprentice whose working on building it. Supporting people’s aspirations in Nottinghamshire to buy homes and have great jobs is what our long-term economic plan is all about.”

His visit came as Taylor Wimpey reaffirmed its commitment to training young people in the construction industry by targeting at least 100 new apprenticeships in 2015, with a view to expanding the scheme wider within the business during 2016.

In addition, the company plans to take on at least 20 new management trainees and 20 new graduates during the year, taking its total recruitment commitment in these categories in 2015 to at least 140.

Said Mr Spencer said: “I’m so glad that the Chancellor came to the Cavendish Estate in Clipstone to meet with a young couple who have taken the decision to buy their first home. I am a huge fan of the Help to Buy Scheme purely because it is helping so many young people in my constituency afford to buy their own home.

“Schemes like these reward hardworking people and offer them the help they need to take that step onto the housing ladder, what George Osborne has done is made that ladder much easier to climb for thousands of young people across the country.”

As well as Mr Spencer, other candidates who have so far announced they are standing in Sherwood are Leonie Mathers (Labour) and Lydia Davies-Bright (The Green Party).