York has been subject to the impact of a nationwide housing crisis for some time. Deemed the most unaffordable city in the North, house prices are growing at a seemingly uncontrollable rate, and some York residents are left wondering how they will be able to continue to afford living in the city.
Councillor Margaret Wells, of York’s Clifton ward, is trying to instigate change. She spoke at the York City Council meeting on 25th October 2018 to encourage her fellow councillors to consider the issue.
The Labour councillor stated that the average house price in York is over £265,000, and the average price of monthly rent is £932. These are unreasonable figures for the average working person, making York a difficult place to settle for a lot of people.
There are homes in York selling for over half a million pounds, which in previous years would have seemed ludicrous to many.
More and more workers are commuting to York from elsewhere as a result of these prices, and many others are leaving their jobs and moving to more affordable areas.
Agency staff are costing York hospital a great deal of money, which they are struggling to afford in the NHS’ current climate. However, it is unavoidable due to such high housing costs that many members of NHS staff can’t afford.
As a result, the hospital struggles to recruit nurses in York. Care homes and agencies are also having to seek commuting staff, which is perpetuating the congestion problem in York.
Wells stated that council owned sites need to be ‘put to the best use’. Previously, 40% of housing on council land in York was affordable, and the other 60% would be sold at full market price.
This was due to the cap on how much York council was able to borrow to build new homes. The cap has now been lifted, and the council is now able to borrow money to build homes for people in York.
Councillor Wells suggested that the city ought to invest in ‘a bigger mortgage’ to build houses for the city and provide homes for people that don’t have the option of buying properties at high prices.
She also stated that these homes would help ‘ordinary people’ onto the housing ladder, and ‘make them feel welcome in a city that increasingly seems to want them placed out’.
Wells described the shortage of affordable homes as ‘chronic’ and reflected on past efforts by the city of York to help house soldiers in the post-war period. She compared this to the present day by claiming we must still help the ‘heroes’, yet today they are not soldiers but our nurses, teachers and emergency services.