Publications

Cornish Housing Crisis

Over the last five years, the national media has highlighted the explosion in house prices throughout the country. No place in the UK has been hit as hard as Cornwall.The fundamental problem in Cornwall is the mismatch between low local wages and rising house prices. Cornwall has the lowest annual salary in England at only 70% of the national average.

House prices are well above the national average (of five times the annual wage) at approximately eight times the annual wage - and rising faster than almost anywhere else.The desirability of Cornwall for second homes and holiday lets in combination with poor housing stock has led to a serious shortage of affordable housing. The report examines these factors in turn, and studies Labour's performance compared with their initial manifesto pledges on issues such as homelessness.

Most importantly, the report outlines the 7 key solutions to the housing crisis that the Liberal Democrats are committed to implementing.

Download the full report - "Cornish Housing Crisis: In from the Cold".

Tuition Fees

Government spending penalises Cornwall, and Cornish graduates are no exception. Cornish students applying to university this year can expect to face 20 years of debt repayments - over six times the average time taken to complete a university course. The 20 years following university are the most pivotal in buying a house; decades-old debt from Government incompetence is the last burden anyone would wish for.

Download the full report - "Top-up Fees, Tuition Fees and Cornish Students: 3 years more hard Labour?".