Shocking report on housing shows need for action - Farron

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has commented on a report released today by the national housing charity Shelter, which revealed that the level of affordable housing for families in South Lakeland has fallen to less than 3%.

In South Lakeland, only 2.8% of local properties on the market are affordable for families with children. For single people, the amount of affordable homes is just 1.2% of those for sale. For couples with no children, 13.2% of properties for sale are affordable. The research shows that the SouthLakes is the 88th most expensive place to live in the UK.

Shelter's research demonstrated that in the majority of the North West, less than a third of the suitable homes for sale are affordable for a typical family hoping to get on the first rung of the property ladder.

Shelter say that there is "a band of low affordability areas across the north of England from the Lake District to the Vale of York."

Tim said: "This research puts in black and white what many of us know already, we face a housing crisis in our area. But this isn't about building homes, it's about people and families. We need to build affordable homes and deliver a plan for housing in our area. This project will help us keep young people, families and communities together and vibrant. It will also protect rural bus services, schools, post offices and village shops.

"We need a proper mix of housing. We need to deliver truly affordable homes, social rented and council houses. If we have a plan, we can work to deliver them and work to offer every family a roof over their head."