I was talking to my neighbour the other day and his daughter is moving to England because she can't afford a house around here, it's a right shame. She's a local girl, went to the same school as my son, and now she's off because the prices are too high. It's not just her, I've seen it happening all over, young people having to leave because they can't get on the property ladder.
I've been farming this land for years and I've seen the community change, it's not just the young people leaving, it's the shops closing, the pubs shutting, it's the whole village dying. My son wants to study in Cardiff and I'm worried he'll never come back, I want him to take over the farm one day but if he can't afford a house he'll have to look elsewhere. We need to do something to stop this, we need to make sure our kids can afford to live in the communities they grew up in.
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Mock the policy. Not the person. Community principles →
When I was growing up on the Wirral, some of my mates who were dead keen on staying ended up having to move to Manchester or Liverpool just to get decent jobs and a chance at a place of their own. You can't blame them, but it hollows out the places they came from. We need policies that support local economies, not just let the market decide who gets to stay.
My neighbour’s son, who’s a brilliant mechanic, had to move to Halifax because he couldn't find anywhere affordable to rent, let alone buy, even though his whole life is here. It feels like we’re losing the heart of our towns when the next generation can’t put down roots.