08:08 Thursday 31st January 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
[P]AUL STAINTON: Leasing a house in the private rental market got a whole lot more expensive for people living in parts of Cambridgeshire last year. Last year rents in Cambridge rose by nearly £50 a month, and in East Cambridgeshire they rose by £30. A report from the housing charity Shelter says people are having to paybout so much money for rent they can’t save up for a home of their own, leaving them stuck in what they’re calling a rent trap. Kate Webb is Senior Policy Adviser at Shelter. She says the local authorities should offer tenants longer contracts, and crack down on rogue landlords. (TAPE)
KATE WEBB: So many more people are renting. Everyone’s squeezed down the ladder a little bit. We are seeing more examples of what we term rogue landlords, and this is really really dangerous practices going on at the sharp end of the rental market. And we do think local authorities could be doing a lot more to crack down on rogue landlords. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Rents reflect house prices, and this is an incredibly very expensive place to live. as we’ve heard many times before. So what is the solution? Well councils across the county are doing their bit to help. In Peterborough the City Council launched a mortgage scheme in which the authority helps first time buyers get on the ladder. East Cambridgeshire District Council is also trying to help with its own solutions, called Community Land Trusts. And our reporter Dotty McLeod is in Stretham this morning to find out more about it. Morning.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Good morning Paul. Yes, well many people might have zoomed past Stretham on the A10 on the way in to Cambridge, or maybe from Cambridge into Ely. But if you haven’t dropped by, it’s a lovely little village. It’s quite small, but it’s got its own shop, its own pub, a church, a primary school, and we’re sheltering right now, on the High Street in the bus shelter, because there’s a good old drizzle on this morning. Now I had a quick look before I came out this morning at average rental prices in Stretham, just on an estate agency website, and for a three bed bungalow Paul you’re looking at about £750 a month, and this is a village that’s twelve miles from Cambridge, about four miles from Ely. For a four bed detached house it’s £1,100 a month, so pretty expensive for the location. Joining me now are Charles Roberts and Bill Hunt. Both are Conservative District Councillors. Charles is also Chair of the local Parish Council, and Bill is also a County Councillor . So we’ve got all the different kinds of councils covered this morning. Now Charles, starting with you, what is a Community Land Trust, this idea you’ve got to try to help the village help people on low incomes? Continue reading “Building Houses For Workers On Green Belt Land In Stretham”