Dan Rogerson MP for North Cornwall

Dan Rogerson, MP for North Cornwall and Liberal Democrat Housing spokesman, today welcomed the report of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission and demanded the government take action immediately to address its recommendations.

The Commission was set up ten months ago as a result of a Labour manifesto commitment to tackle the crisis in rural housing that has run out of control since 1997.

Dan Rogerson, MP for North Cornwall, said:
"This report must come as a wake-up call to the government, and it echoes what the Liberal Democrats have been saying for some time.

"The Commission has supported the Liberal Democrat policy that local councils should be given enhanced planning powers to restrict the growth of second homes. We must reform VAT to encourage developers to repair and re-use empty buildings.

"Elinor Goodman's commission has come up with some excellent proposals, and now we need a swift government response which puts these ideas into practice."

Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesman, said:
"Affordable housing has a key element to play in the survival of many villages and small towns.

"Up to 1 in 8 homes in rural communities are second homes, so it is essential councils use a full range of tax and planning powers to control their spread.

"It is not in the interests of second home owners to visit ghost villages."

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Affordable Rural Housing Commission was set up in July 2005 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) – now the newly created Department for Communities and Local Government – to inquire into the scale, nature and implications of the shortage of affordable housing for rural communities in England. The full report is available from DEFRA: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/pdfs/housing/commissiofn/affordable-housing.pdf