I’D like to comment on the wellmeant but not well thought out, as far as rural communities are concerned, plans to sell off local housing association homes. In Codford we have managed to get three Wilts Rural Housing Association developments here to address the very real problem of lack of affordable rented accommodation to allow people with local connections to be able to live close to family and friends in their own villages.
It will be a disaster if these homes are sold off to existing tenants for a discounted price – or indeed any price. It sounds such a great idea to the urban politicians – but fails to take into account the fact that once sold these home will change hands at market prices and so once again locals will be priced out of their communities and be forced to live elsewhere. This will result in disenfranchising those on low incomes and disrupt the balance of village communities.
We fought so hard to identify exception and suitable sites to help our own people – all this effort will be wasted if blanket legislation by central government in Westminster brings this into law.
ROMY WYETH Codford
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