'Housing report highlights affordable homes crisis ' says Farron

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has called on the government to create a county wide affordable housing strategy as a major report showed that we are facing an affordable homes crisis.

A report released this morning by the National Housing Federation (NHF) said that average house price in England had soared by 94% between 2001 and 2011 - taking it up from £121,769 to £236,518.

By contrast, the NHF said that salaries had not kept pace with the change; the typical salary went up by just 29% in that time, from £16,557 to £21,330.

The National Housing Federation found that Copeland saw the fastest growing gap between house prices and wages in the country. While house prices in the district rose by a massive 145% to £129,862 by 2011, average incomes only increased by 5% to £21,117.

Late last year Tim and the NHF launched a report called Home Truths about the acute housing crisis in South Cumbria and theFurnessPeninsula, in it they concluded that nearly 5,000 families in Furness andSouth Lakeland are on the social housing waiting list.

At the current rate it would take a colossal 66,458 years to clear the backlog of people on waiting lists within the county.

The issue is compounded by the fact that average house costs outside the national park are nine times local peoples average wages. Inside the national park the disparity is much higher.

Average house prices across theNorth Westhave risen by 126% since 2001. The report also predicts that average rent costs will soar in the next five years by 18.7%.

Commenting, Tim said: "This latest report from the National Housing Federation has helped again put on paper what we sadly already knew. There is a chronic need for housing in our area. I want all of Cumbria's MPs to now come together and push for a coordinated government strategy. We need to work tirelessly to put a roof over every family's head.

"But we need the right kind of housing - social housing, truly affordable housing and social rented properties. I will continue to do all I can to push the council and others to do more for local families and I will continue to champion the need for truly affordable homes in areas with the support of local communities. Much has been done but as this report shows there is much, much more left to do."