A south Cumbrian MP has called for an increased funding as house prices hit 13 times the average household income in the Lake District.
Speaking in the House of Commons, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron called for the government to allocate more funding for rural communities like the Lake District to tackle rising housing costs.
Mr Farron urged ministers to address the problem amid soaring housing costs in the region.
He said: “The largest single driver of child poverty in my communities is the enormous cost of housing, where the average house price will be up to 13 times the average household income. This drives grinding poverty, particularly amongst children.”
Mr Farron asked for an increase in housing grant to go to rural communities, and highlighted the Windermere Gateway scheme – a development site in Cumbria supporting regional growth through the provision of sustainable homes and improved infrastructure.
Responding to Mr Farron, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall said: “Reducing housing costs one of the key things we’re looking at in the Child Poverty Taskforce in advance of our strategy in the autumn.
“We’re investing an additional £39 billion into building social, affordable and other homes. Kids deserve to live in good homes that are affordable, and that’s what this government intends to achieve.”
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Local residents feel that the issue is exacerbated by the number of second homes in the Lake District.
One resident said: “We don’t need to build more houses, we need regulation on second homes and AirBnbs. It’s really not difficult.”
Another said: “By restricting the houses to local only it also keeps the house prices low enough for locals to afford them, so out of towners cant ramp the prices up. Homes are for living in, not trying to make a profit from in a short time.”
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