cheltonian politics
Alex Chalk MPfor Cheltenham Thismonth with...
Securing the Future
CheltenhamMPAlex Chalk talks property prices in Cheltenhamand what this means for the next generation
At first glance, the news that Cheltenhamwas Britain’s biggest property price ‘winner’ in 2017 is great news for local homeowners and a vote of confidence in the town. Cheltenhamsawthe highest
percentage rise in house prices of any town or city in 2017, a recent study showed. House prices increased at nearly
five times theUK average, rising by an average of £36,033 to £313,150. That was a 13 per cent jump compared with 2.7 per cent nationally. Fifteen of the top 20performers
over the past yearwere in London and southern England, the study by theHalifax found. Our townwas something of an
outlier, claiming top spot and leading the rest of country. It’s no surprise that peoplewant to
live inCheltenham. The town is on the up. Thanks to the brilliant support of local people, our campaigns formore secondary school funding forCheltenhamhave been successful (10%in the case of one school). Plus,we’vewon Government investment for the town in digital security, the new cyberpark and improved transport links. There’s a growing buzz about the town, and newbusinesses are
being attracted bywhatCheltenham has to offer. But as every parent and
grandparent dreads, there can be a downside to rising house prices. Rents go up and our childrenwonder if theywill ever be able to afford to buy their own home? It’swhy I believe, put simply,
Cheltenhamneedsmore homes for young families.We need amixed- age, vibrant, community. In 2010, housebuilding had
reached its lowest level since the 1920's and the number of homes available for social rent had
fallen through the floor. Significant progress has been
made in the last fewyears to tackle this crisis. The supply of homes has increased bymore than 1.1million since then, including nearly 350,000 affordable homes, Local councils and housing
associations are nowable to access support to buildmore homes, at rents that are affordable for local people, through theGovernment’s £9billion+ AffordableHomes Programme. The ambitious target is nowto build 300,000homes per year nationwide.
THECHELTONIAN FEBRUARY /MARCH2018 45
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