"We need more affordable local homes for people living and working in Cumbria," was the driving message from Dr Neil Hudson MP when he met with Lake District National Park Authority's Chief Executive, Richard Leafe and Chair Tiffany Hunt in Penrith to collaborate on solutions to the county's affordable housing crisis.
The MP for Penrith and The Border represents a large rural constituency where a variety of factors such as high tourism levels, strict planning regulations and inflated prices can often collude to make home ownership unattainable for many local people. This is most acutely felt in the Lake District where a large proportion of the housing stock is dedicated to tourist accommodation.
Dr Hudson has spoken time and again on the issue calling for action on planning measures, affordable new builds, and rental properties for hospitality workers.
Steps are already being taken nationally, for instance the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme (2021-26) will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. Progress includes £8.6 billion of funding allocated to councils, housing associations and private providers. This will deliver around 57,000 homes for affordable homeownership, 29,600 for social rent and 6,250 affordable rural homes. However, Dr Hudson is pushing for acutely affected areas such as the Lake District to be looked at further.
Locally, Dr Hudson continues to push for urgent action as local Government restructuring has slowed a host of important governmental processes, including on housing.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said:
"Unfortunately, I’ve spoken time and again to people affected by the issue of affordable housing in Cumbria, from families who simply can’t afford adequately-sized homes to businesses struggling to hire due to a lack of available properties for new staff. A solution must be found so local people can continue to live and work in the communities they call home.
"Thank you to Richard Leafe and Tiffany Hunt for meeting with me to progress this and discuss planning and connectivity, key issues for us in Cumbria. We need a balanced approach whereby the tourism and hospitality sector that contributes so much to Cumbria's economy is allowed to thrive, while industry workers and local people can afford to live and work in our beautiful communities. Already work is underway with the Government launching an official review short-term tourist accommodation but more still needs to be done.
"I have consistently called for sensible planning measures to be implemented with more local say over the levels of affordable housing being provided. I will continue to press local authorities, central decision-makers and developers themselves to provide solutions so that our housing market remains open and fair for local people."
Dr Hudson said he was proud of the Government's support for first-time buyers which includes a mortgage guarantee scheme for 5% deposits, raising the property price at which first-time buyers pay stamp duty, and increased values on which first-time buyers' relief can be claimed. However, this does not address growing families looking for more space or those in the pricey rental market.
The Penrith MP has raised the issue in the chamber during his Levelling Up Cumbrian Rural Communities debate and related debates in Parliament.
