But while there’s been a lot of noise about Labour-dominated inner-cities, campaigners say there are forgotten victims too – those who live in the countryside.

Shaun Spiers, chief executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), writes why the Bill is hammering people in the Tories’ heartland.
The traditional idea of an English village may be one of rolling fields, thatched cottages and workers tending the land.

But just as important for our villages’ survival is a vibrant mix of people from all backgrounds.

The sad reality facing the countryside is that young people are moving out of their villages because they can’t afford a home.

Schools, shops and pubs are closing. And the Government, which last year promised to put the countryside at the heart of policy-making, is totally ignoring the housing plight of rural people on low or average wages.

With rural house prices much higher than urban prices and rural wages much lower, the only way to make villages affordable is to build more housing association or council homes for rent.”