The Devon shortage is much greater than Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset. It is one of the reasons being given for cuts in our own local NHS. Why?
Could it be that with all these executive homes being built and developers here being absolved of providing affordable homes because of their so-called penury that homes to buy are out of their reach and that rented homes are also too expensive and insecure – and that they need their affordable homes close to their jobs and schools and not out in inaccessible countryside on poor roads?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-31136174
And here is a personal East Devon story illustrating this problem:
“…So here’s the catch for those on lower incomes living in rural [East]Devon: you can’t buy, but you can’t rent either.
Our villages are turning increasingly into ghettos full of wealthy retired people, lawyers, engineers and doctors, because these are the only people who can afford to buy.
People on lower incomes, particularly those with families, find themselves forced to look elsewhere. But in rural areas there just isn’t the choice of rented properties that exists in cities and towns, unless you can afford the higher prices of agents which dominate the market.”
East Devon Watch 