Conference at Bodmin

I enjoyed going to the Cornwall conference at Bodmin at the weekend. With a new unitary council scheduled it is important to start looking at Cornwall's future and priorities.

We had some very stimulating debates on environment, housing, and the structure of delivering services in Cornwall. The latter item doesn't sound very inspiring but unless the structures are right we won't get the delivery.

I chaired a meeting on affordable housing. Kate Tregunna from Cornwall needs Affordable housing was also on the panel. I liked her comment that really the words 'second home' are wrong. A second home is really an accessory. Like a 4x4. She works full-time at Treliske doing an essential job but cannot even register for 'affordable housing' as she doesn't earn enough!

Shock statistics

A recent housing report shows that 19,000 families are on council house waiting lists in Cornwall today.

Not surprising when house prices rose a whopping 274% between 1996 and 2006 in Cornwal and the average house price in Cornwall in Sept 2007 topped £231,400. To get a mortgage on the average house in Cornwall an individual would need to be earning over £66,000 – way above the average local wage of - £19,290.
With too few affordable homes to buy or rent, households on waiting lists for homes in Dec 2006 hit 19,728, a 128.7% increase in number of households on waiting lists since 2001.
Just 1030 affordable homes to rent were built across Cornwall between 2003 and 2006, whilst 600 were sold under Right to Buy. Over 10,000 affordable homes have been sold off under RTB since it was introduced in 1980.

The number of second homes in the County is 14,427. There was a 56% increase in second home ownership between 2000 – 2006, and many local communities are suffering as a result of under-use of local services due to second home ownership. Parishes said the official figures underestimate the numbers of second homes, and that as prices rise second home buyers are now turning to new builds and non-coastal locations.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. I am glad to have got through some of the dismal days of last year and am looking forward to 2008. Two of my daughters came home for Christmas with family and that was great. My youngest daughter is touring Patagonia in a camper van! OK for some.

On the campaign front the Save our Post office petition will be arriving on the doorsteps during January. Successive Governments fail to recognise the unpaid work done by sub postmasters. Time is money and yet many of the staff in these post offices do hours of unpaid social work filling in forms and helping people out. The fact is they provide a real link for many people, mostly elderly, in our communities.

I hope you will back our campaign.