The Citizens Advice Bureau is appealing to everyone involved in solving the current housing crisis to look beyond just getting people on the property ladder.
All from local councils to builders, MPs and landlords should not focus on first-time buyer issues and seek to address the whole range of housing challenges , the charity says in its new report ‘Dispatches from the front lines of the housing crisis’.
The research has identified a number of challenges including:
- People being driven out of towns in Pembrokeshire by poor housing standards and antisocial behaviour, but struggling with the higher costs of rural living.
- Post-war New Town planning decisions in Crawley resulting in not enough small homes for young people or those wanting to downsize.
- Homeowners in County Durham struggling to keep up mortgage payments and meet the costs of looking after their home.
- Young seasonal workers in Blackpool trapped renting in crumbling bed and breakfasts, whilst owners are unable to sell.
- People in Conwy, Enfield and Dorchester doing battle with spiralling private rents, up-front costs of moving and sub-standard homes rented out by private landlords.
- The impact of the growing student population in Exeter has on the local infrastructure.
Last year Citizens Advice helped people with over 430,000 housing issues, up four per cent on the previous year. Debt issues due to private rental arrears were also up by eight per cent to over 27,000.
The latest figures from the Citizens Advice show that three people every minute are turning to the charity with a housing problem.
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“People’s housing challenges vary by where they live. Across the country too many people are living in homes that don’t meet their needs – from private renters in a damp property or homeowners who can’t afford to move. Housing is one of the top issues people turn to Citizens Advice for help with, but within this we see a huge range of different problems.
“We need a broad-ranging debate about the different housing challenges facing the nation, one that moves beyond just trying to get people onto the property ladder. The new Government has the opportunity now to look at housing problems in the round and consider how best address the range of challenges faced by renters and homeowners alike.”
The new report brings together research by eight local Citizens Advice across England and Wales, presenting what is behind housing problems in their area. It finds that local housing markets, and associated challenges, are shaped by the histories, geographies and economies of places.
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