I WOULD like to start by saying that I wholeheartedly agree with the letter published on June 29, which was submitted by Fodo Higginson which questions the delivery of promises by Rebecca Pow. 

It is apparently high on her local political agenda to ensure that the numbers of homeless people are reduced and in respect of this the article which indicated that there would be a “seasonal increase in sleeping rough” springs to mind.

The only way to increase affordable rental properties in our town and others further afield, is to stop being greedy. 

Rents are inflated to such a degree to put them out of the reach of many high earners, let alone those on limited incomes. 

The greed of letting agents and the greed of landlords.

There needs to be made available much more housing stock when housing developers receive permission to build. 

This way the problem could be addressed at a grass roots level. 

If housing developers keep being given permission by stating that they are going to allocate, say, 10 per cent of the stock for affordable homes, then they should be made to hold by this agreement and not suddenly backtrack once permission has been granted by saying ‘Oh, actually, it wouldn’t be viable to allocate those homes to the affordable housing market’. 

It’s just unacceptable.

This issue needs be raised on a national as well as local level and then perhaps more homes would become affordable for rent by all members of society, not just a small echelon. 

Homes need to be affordable, we need to get out of this scenario of “Do I pay my rent or do I eat/heat my home?”. 

This doesn’t even apply to the homeless, they have absolutely no chance of getting into housing because it is pitched way out of their range - how do we expect/hope people will be able to stop sleeping rough/get a job when they are priced out of the market initially?

Acquisitiveness seems to be a throwback to Thatcher days and the yuppie culture which was encouraged to think only of themselves and not their wider community. 

There are signs that this is being addressed and even reversed in some areas of society, but the baseline is that everyone wishing to live in a property, should be given the opportunity to do so.

The Taunton Association for the Homeless and other charitable bodies do wonderful work in supporting homeless people and those struggling to stay in their homes, but there is only so much they can do if they are battling against a system perpetuating the inflation of rents for those in dire need.

TOM EARL
Taunton