Report reveals lack of affordable housing in rural Britain

12.00.00am GMT Mon 26th Oct 2009

More funding is needed to help solve Britain's affordable housing crisis according to Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson Tim Farron MP, who was commenting after a report from the Commission for Rural Communities revealed the lack of affordable housing in rural Britain.

According to the report, residents in rural communities can expect to spend on average of £37,000 more for a house compared to those in urban areas. Mr Farron has expressed his concern that this distortion, along with high second home ownership and low average wages, will lead to more young people leaving South Lakeland.

Mr Farron has called on the government to scrap the Regional Spatial Strategy and allow local communities to make their own decisions about where housing should be situated to reverse the high numbers of young people leaving rural Britain.

Commenting Tim said

"This report just reinforces what unfortunately we already know. We are in desperate need of affordable housing in our area. The average house price is £250k while the average wage is around just £17k.

"Thirty per-cent of young people in South Lakeland leave the area and never come back because they are unable to get on the housing ladder

"The government needs to act now to protect rural communities. The spatial strategy should be scrapped and work should instead begin within local communities to find the best ways to support small developments of social and affordable housing."