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A housing emergency in the South West

  • by JW

“We are not just bartenders, ice-cream servers, and lifeguards, we are people who deserve to be able to rent and buy where we live.”

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We’ve been talking about housing for a long time now:

The debate over housing – Vision Group for Sidmouth

But it’s going beyond a ‘crisis’:

Tackling the housing crisis in Devon – Vision Group for Sidmouth

In fact, this week there’s been much more talk about it being a housing ’emergency’ – across the South West in particular:

North Devon Council has more than 2,000 residents looking for social housing through its Devon Home Choice site, with only 20 residential homes being available on Rightmove.co.uk. North Devon and Torridge Housing Crisis is now campaigning to parish councils in the region to declare a housing emergency, while encouraging estate agents and private landlords to rent to locals.

Homelessness threat for mum and son priced out of village she grew up in – Mirror Online

Anthony Mangnall, the Conservative MP for Totnes, announced he was set to declare a ‘housing emergency’ in South Hams later this year. The district includes popular villages such as Noss Mayo, Salcombe and Newton Ferrers – which he claimed had more than 5,000 second homes. He is just one of several MPs preparing to call on Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to introduce a range of measures to ease the crisis.

Devon MP on ‘housing emergency’ amid fears landlords evicting tenants to chase Airbnb rents – Devon Live

SOARING property prices have left many locals homeless in some of Britain’s most popular holiday locations because of the rise of second home purchases.

This has led local Conservative MP for Totnes Anthony Mangnall to say the area is approaching a housing emergency. He said: “There are just 19 properties you can rent long-term in the whole of South Hams on Rightmove. However, there are 300 advertised on Airbnb in Salcombe, another 300 in Kingsbridge, a similar number in Totnes. Yet we have hospital staff who can’t find anywhere to live, RNLI crew that can’t live in the town they serve.”

Homeless crisis: Second home owners fuelling ‘dangerous’ homelessness crisis | UK | News | Express.co.uk

Fury as key workers are forced out of UK holiday hotspots as landlords evict tenants to put property on Airbnb in bid to capitalise on staycation boom

  • Key workers forced out of some of Britain’s most popular holiday locations 
  • Landlords evict tenants to put properties on Airbnb to capitalise on staycations 
  • Covid pandemic, cuts to stamp duty and staycations triggered housing crisis 
  • MPs are calling on Robert Jenrick to introduce measures to ease the emergency

Key workers forced out of UK holiday hotspots as landlords evict tenants to put property on Airbnb | Daily Mail Online

A Kernow Matters spokesperson said: “We cannot live like this any longer, and we won’t accept growing mass homelessness of people in Cornwall and ever-expanding house prices becoming an accepted part of life.

“We demand action, we demand change, we demand dignity.

“We are not just bartenders, ice-cream servers, and lifeguards, we are people who deserve to be able to rent and buy where we live.

“This is a protest to demand immediate, emergency action from our MPs and Westminster to tackle this crisis.

“We deserve affordable housing and rental properties. Cornwall is not a playground, it is not just a tourist-hot-spot and nice place to live by the beach if you have the cash for it – it’s our home, it’s our culture, our family, friends, livelihoods – and we can’t even afford to live here.

“No more second homes. No more exorbitant rents. No more holiday lets over council homes. Enough is enough.

“Cornwall Council building cabins is not enough, and does absolutely nothing to address the roots and growing catastrophe of this crisis.

“Come to the protest, show your support, and you can share your story or someone else’s in living through and experiencing this housing crisis.”

Cornwall roads blockade threat over second homes – Devon Live