Professor is guest speaker at Cumbria Rural Housing Trust agm (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Professor is guest speaker at Cumbria Rural Housing Trust agm

9:56am Thursday 11th October 2012 in News

A PROFESSOR who is a recognised expert on rural issues is to be the guest speaker at tomorrow’s annual general meeting of the Cumbria Rural Housing Trust.

Thirty years ago Professor Mark Shucksmith OBE, of Newcastle University, wrote a book called ‘No Homes for Locals?’ which highlighted concerns about the future of rural communities, as high house prices were beginning to force local people out of rural villages.

It included a case study of rural housing in South Lakeland and the Lake District National Park. Many of the issues that were raised in the book are now seen in even more extreme form, with high house prices in many central Lake District villages compared to low local wages, and high levels of second homes and holiday lets in some villages affecting community viability. Proessor Shucksmith has been a Commissioner on the Commission of Rural Communities for many years, and was a member of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission in 2005/06. He has written many reports on rural issues, and has recently published a report with the Carnegie Trust, ‘Future Directions in Rural Development’, which highlights the need for better networking and resource allocation by government to allow rural communities to determine their own future.

The meeting for trustees and invited guests will take place at Newbiggin Village Hall.