Herald Express Article for Friday 6th August 2010

According to the National Housing Federation, last year the average house price in Torbay was £179,729 while the average income was only £15,480, meaning the average house cost 11.6 times the average salary.  No one is going to get a mortgage at that ratio and one would expect a caring local authority would have a duel aim of ensuring an adequate supply of social housing and the raising of local incomes at the top of their economic regeneration strategy.

I’m pleased that Torbay is going to make the latter a priority in the future, but progress on the former has been lamentable.

The statistics record there were 6,493 households on the council’s waiting list last year living in inadequate or inappropriate housing for their or their families needs.  At the current rate of social housing allocations many of the people on the waiting list will never obtain a secure tenancy with a regulated rent in a home maintained to a decent standard. They will literally wait forever.

Studies show the negative impacts on people’s lives, especially children’s, and the added costs to society from poor housing.  If we could ensure the provision of an affordable decent home for everyone we would reduce demands for health and social services, improve educational attainment and cut crime.

One suggestion for helping to house people on the waiting list would be to limit the number of years a person could stay in social housing.  The idea is that after 5 years the tenants would have to undergo another application process or means test and would face eviction if the home was no longer deemed to meet their needs.  This is David Cameron’s brainwave and like Mrs Thatcher I say no, no, no.

The answer to the housing crisis, locally and nationally, is to secure more social housing, not to it take away from one person to give to another.

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When you refer to something as being Plan A, it hints there is a Plan B. 

Where the Kingskerswell Bypass is concerned there is only one plan and that is to get it funded by the general taxpayer just as every other road linking a large community to the main highway network has been.  No way should we have to pay for our road twice. 

If we can keep the alliance of political and business support together, and remain focussed on getting the funding out of central Government, then it won’t be if, but when the road is built.

To use one of Mrs Thatcher’s quotes again, this is the TINA plan for a by-pass, There Is No Alternative.