JULIA CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION ON RURAL HOUSING

10.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 30th Sep 2008

Julia has called on the Government to act now as the number of people waiting for an affordable home in rural England has increased by more than a third since 2003.

The National Housing Federation (NHF) and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) revealed that over the last five years the number of people waiting for an affordable home in country areas rose by 37%, up from 507,757 in 2003 to 695,735 last year.

The NHF and CPRE echoed Julia's calls for the Government to respond to Truro and St Austell MP Matthew Taylor's report into the rural housing crisis. Since the report was published in July, the Government has given no indication if it will act on its conclusions.

Commenting, Julia said;

"Yet again the serious issue of affordable rural housing has shown how toothless the Government has become. The Government must act on the recommendations of the reports they have already received. These latest findings reinforce the urgent need for action to help people stuck waiting for an affordable home.

"The Liberal Democrats are the only party who understand the seriousness of the situation and who are putting forward proposals that will make a real difference to rural communities. Councils must be given the freedom to reinvest all of their council tenant rent and be allowed to borrow to acquire new social housing.

"This Labour government talk of their 'determination' to help rural communities but nothing has been done, and the Tories are more interested in protecting second home owners than in affordable rural housing.

"Our local communities need urgent action now as many are in grave danger of excluding an entire generation from the housing market."