4% affordable homes for young people according to Shelter - we must act says MP

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has used the release of statistics by housing charity Shelter to call for urgent action to provide housing for young people in South Cumbria.

Research from housing charity Shelter has revealed that some 1.97m adults between the ages of 20 and 34 are still living at home with their parents. The research paints an alarming picture of England's affordability black spots. In 83 local authority areas, which accounts for over a quarter of the country, there were fewer than 10 affordable homes for sale.

Shelter has found that 70 per cent of homes in the North West are too expensive, with South Lakeland ranking the worst.

This includes 2,437 young working adults in Barrow and 3,135 in South Lakeland.

That means, according to Shelter, in South Lakeland in the North West only 4% were affordable (43 out of 1,069 for sale). Recent government figures show that average house prices in the UK have risen by 9.9% in a year to £260,000 - higher than their pre-crisis peak in 2008. With soaring housing prices and the lack of affordable homes beginning to take effect, official figures show that homeownership in England has fallen to its lowest level since 1987.

Tim said:"These statistics are tragic and we must act on them. Young people need a home, once we have that we can work to secure more good jobs and even more investment. Housing is fundamentally about people and it's the people in rural areas that suffer the most. It's appalling that in significant parts of the UK, you need a salary of at least £100,000 to stay in the village you grew up in. And it's not just a few people - the problem is real, and it's widespread. We must build homes to work to make sure every local family as a truly affordable home to call their own."