House of Lords debate on housing

The Countryside Alliance welcomed a debate in the House of Lords from Lord Griffiths of Burry Port on the subject: "Housing shortage impact on young people, in their desire to live in the communities where they were born, raised and educated"

The Countryside Alliance welcomed this debate, which took place on 3rd November.

The shortage of affordable housing is one of the greatest challenges facing the United Kingdom. It is a particular problem for young people and families and has serious consequences for the sustainability of communities.

The need for more housing stock is not just an issue in towns and cities. Many rural areas are suffer from a lack of housing, especially affordable housing.

In 2006, it was estimated that more than 30,000 affordable homes needed building in rural areas each year to meet need. (Commission for Rural Communities (2006) Calculating Housing Needs in Rural England). However, since then, that average has been around 8,000 (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2013) Living in Rural Areas: Housing).

Read our brief on this subject here: background-note-housing-shortage-lord-griffiths-of-bury-port-031116