Watching the BBC news coverage about the housing debate in Saffron Walden, Essex last night I was struck by how difficult it is to convey the complexity of issues this subject involves in a short news item. The challenge faced by towns like Saffron Walden was captured well, as was the argument that houses have been proposed in the wrong places and without the services they need. The need for new affordable housing was also highlighted.
What was missing was reference to factors such as:
- New housing being sold to buy to let investors rather than aspiring homeowners. I suspect most new housing is going to the “buy to let” market, with little being affordable to young people wanting to own their own home.
- The government’s removal of planning obligations on developers to build new affordable housing on new developments, allowing them to built “starter homes” instead. Starter homes will not be affordable to the people on the local Council’s waiting list and, with the government promoting right to buy as well, there will be more and more people on low incomes without access to housing. If this carries on, many local young people and families will never have access to adequate housing.
So, it was good coverage of the housing situation in Saffron Walden, but it could have said so much more!