Oldham's housing crisis

Editor,

The real real nature of the current housing crisis is scarcity (which also drives up prices), and it was indeed created in part by the Conservative's refusal to allow councils to build new Social Housing to replace all the properties lost to the Right to Buy (which too often becomes Buy to Rent which was never the intent of the policy), and is that demand is far outstripping supply (and yes, immigration is also a factor as well).

The privatisation of the Social Housing providers which has not been an unmitigated success is another issue.

As is the amount of still perfectly serviceable Social Housing that's simply been demolished - for example two thirds of Derker and more recently Crossbank and Summervale Houses etc.

Then again even 'homelessness' has become just another racket.

There are at least 17 different homelessness charities currently operating in the north west alone and yet nothing much seems to be getting better; quite the opposite in fact.

The answer to this problem is simple; but it isn't yet more regulation and rules that will further increase the cost, (which will be passed on to their tenants) and liabilities of private landlords and which will further discourage them and drive even more of them out of the market.

The answer to problem is simple;

We desperately need to start building a lot of traditional Social Housing (which is not the same thing as so called, 'Affordable Housing') and to stop demolishing the exiting supply,

Will OMBC or any of the local Housing Associations start doing this?

Somehow I doubt it, but that nonetheless would be the solution,

Jeremy Paul Craig-Weston

Derker

The views expressed are those of the author of the letter and not those of Oldham Chronicle.