PoliticsHome reported on a fringe event at the Conference organised by the CPRE and the National Housing Federation looking at the best way to increase the number of affordable homes in rural England.

Neil O’Brien, MP for Harborough, highlighted that the UK housing crisis is not solely an urban problem and that, first and foremost, the root causes of limited supply should be tackled.

Tom Fyans of the CPRE said that money is a crucial factor: currently only 8% of rural housing is categorised as ‘affordable’ and this classification is made without taking into account rural salaries, which are typically lower than urban ones. John Lefever from Hastoe Housing Association – the largest rural housing association in the UK – argued it was essential to address ‘local housing need’ and maintain a ‘community connection’ when building new houses.

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