Danger of young people priced out of County says Sarah Carr

1.19.54am GMT Thu 24th Dec 2009

Hereford, Ross and South Herefordshire's Liberal Democrat prospective MP Sarah Carr, has today said that young and first-time buyers in Herefordshire are in danger of being priced out of the market thanks to the huge increase in rural house prices under the Labour Government.

Mrs Carr's comments came after Regional Affairs Minister Ian Austin released data showing that the cost of buying a home in a rural area of England has at least doubled in almost every part of the country since Labour came to power in 1997. There are now fears that a lack of affordable rural housing will mean that those on lower incomes, especially young people looking to buy their first home, may be forced to leave rural areas. Sarah Carr is also urging local people to take part in the January Herefordshire Council local consultation on house building in Herefordshire.

Commenting Sarah Carr said:

"Over the last decade or so house prices in Herefordshire have risen out of all proportion forcing many people to leave the place where they grew up in order to find a house they can actually afford. This is a very dangerous state of affairs as such a mass exodus of young and lower income earners could have a serious impact on the work forces of the community in years to come.

"On 18 January 2010 locally Herefordshire Council will launch a consultation called the Local Development Framework - the blueprint for land use which will shape the county for decades to come. We need to ensure that anyone who wishes to buy a home in Herefordshire is able to do so and that the focus of any house building detailed in the Local Development Framework is on affordable housing rather than lavish properties for the richest in our society. I urge local people to have their say on the future of housing in our county."