00:00 rural and coastal communities.
00:01 The Lord Bishop of Exeter.
00:03 - My Lords, as Bishop with pastoral care
00:09 of one of the largest rural diocese in England
00:12 that boasts not one but two coastlines,
00:15 I've become concerned about the escalating housing crisis
00:19 in rural and coastal communities.
00:21 And if this is the true situation in Devon,
00:24 I suspect it's going to be true for other parts of England,
00:28 which is why I'm encouraged by the number of colleagues
00:32 from across the House who are speaking today.
00:34 And my hope is that we can distill wisdom
00:37 that will reshape the housing policies
00:40 of His Majesty's Government.
00:43 We're all familiar with the problems of affordability
00:47 caused by the chronic housing shortage
00:49 that is having a disproportionate impact
00:52 on people with low incomes.
00:54 The government, as it's admitted today,
00:58 is falling woefully short of its own home building target.
01:02 And as a result, people are suffering
01:05 because they've nowhere to call home.
01:08 Their health is diminished
01:10 and community spirit is being eroded.
01:12 In coastal and rural areas,
01:15 particularly in tourist hotspots,
01:18 the situation's compounded by second home ownership,
01:22 holiday rentals and Airbnb lettings.
01:26 In Devon and Cornwall, there's a huge gap
01:29 between properties listed for short-term holiday lets
01:33 and long-term rentals.
01:35 Last year, ITV highlighted the fact
01:39 that in the whole of Devon,
01:41 there were only 936 properties to rent
01:45 compared with more than 15,700 holiday lets,
01:50 16 times as many.
01:54 And revisiting the same data ITV used last year,
01:58 the ratio has now risen to 22 times that number,
02:03 with available rental properties
02:06 having slumped to under 700.
02:09 And the situation in Cornwall,
02:11 as no doubt the Lord Lord Teverson will confirm,
02:14 is even worse, with a staggering ratio
02:17 of over 90 times as many holiday lets.
02:21 Only 208 rental properties are listed
02:25 compared to more than 19,000 holiday lets.
02:29 Too often, local people are forced out of the areas
02:33 where their families have lived for generations,
02:36 fracturing their support networks
02:39 to the detriment of individuals,
02:41 families and whole communities.
02:44 Tourism is an important industry,
02:46 and no one begrudges those who have the privilege of choice
02:49 enjoying the countryside and our fabulous coastline.
02:53 But without systemic change,
02:57 including regulating the Airbnb industry,
03:00 our rural and coastal communities
03:02 are going to be hollowed out.
03:04 In my diocese, the impact of second home ownership
03:09 in Salcombe, for example,
03:11 has meant that there are now so few locals
03:13 resident in the community
03:15 that they're struggling to recruit volunteers
03:18 for the lifeboat crew.
03:20 The report, published jointly this month
03:25 by Southwest Social Mobility Commission
03:29 and the University of Exeter,
03:31 highlights how the housing crisis,
03:34 in combination with poor public transport,
03:37 is contributing to low educational attainment
03:39 across the region.
03:40 Transport investment in the region
03:43 stands at £308 per head of the population
03:48 compared with the national average of £474.
03:51 Inadequate public transport
03:54 disadvantages poor residents and young people
03:58 who wish to engage in educational
04:00 and apprenticeship opportunities.
04:03 In combination, this exacerbates the cycle of debt privation
04:08 and stifles aspiration.
04:10 The human and societal cost of the housing crisis
04:14 is accelerating.
04:16 Employers struggle to recruit for the hospitality
04:18 and retail industries.
04:20 Healthcare providers and community services
04:23 suffer shortages because key workers
04:27 can't afford to live in rural and coastal areas.
04:30 In his 2021 report,
04:34 the Chief Medical Officer for England noted
04:37 the high proportion of the worst health
04:39 and wellbeing outcomes for individuals
04:41 that are concentrated in coastal communities
04:45 and access to quality, affordable housing
04:48 is a contributory factor.
04:51 The demand for social housing in rural areas
04:54 is growing at 10 times the rate of that in towns and cities.
04:59 In Devon, with the current rate of net additions
05:03 to the affordable housing stock,
05:05 even if housing waiting lists close tomorrow,
05:10 it would still take over 32 years to clear the backlog.
05:15 32 years, my Lords.
05:17 A report from the Universities of Kent and Southampton notes
05:22 the dramatic rise in homelessness in rural areas
05:25 with a 24% increase in rough sleeping
05:28 in the last year alone.
05:29 Rural and coastal areas often fall through the cracks
05:34 in our national data gathering.
05:36 But research by the Rural Services Network
05:39 shows that if our rural communities
05:42 were aggregated into one region,
05:45 then its need for levelling up would be greater
05:48 than any other region in the United Kingdom.
05:50 It's why the current housing crisis merits action,
05:56 not just sympathy.
05:57 The report of the Archbishop's Commission on Housing
06:02 entitled "Coming Home" points out that housing
06:05 isn't just a matter of putting a roof over a person's head,
06:08 it's about creating homes in communities
06:11 where people can live with dignity and feel secure.
06:15 It's about enabling the diverse communities
06:18 that make up our United Kingdom to thrive
06:22 and have a real community spirit.
06:24 And this is where I believe
06:26 the Church has a significant part to play.
06:29 Sadly, my colleague, the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford,
06:32 who chaired the Archbishop's Commission on Housing
06:35 and who intended to speak this afternoon
06:37 is unable to be here because of a family bereavement.
06:42 But I know she would join me
06:43 in welcoming the various practical responses
06:47 that are being developed to address the current crisis,
06:49 whether by landowners, local authorities or charities,
06:54 including by the Church of England
06:56 in a use of its land assets
06:58 to promote truly affordable homes.
07:01 In Braceridge Heath in Lincolnshire, to give one example,
07:07 the Church commissioners have just obtained
07:09 planning permission for 1,000 new homes
07:12 of which 20% will be affordable.
07:16 The plans include infrastructure
07:18 that will enable people to live in community with dignity
07:21 and facilities to promote their wellbeing.
07:25 All this will be integrated into a town
07:27 of some 5,800 people.
07:31 Things happen when government, landowners
07:35 and communities come together in partnership
07:38 to promote the common good.
07:40 Rural exception sites open up new opportunities
07:45 for affordable housing,
07:46 often with community land trusts being instrumental
07:49 in enabling tight-knit rural communities
07:52 to be integrated into decision-making
07:55 about housing developments.
07:57 But research shows that policies
08:00 are not always applied consistently
08:02 across local authorities.
08:05 There are challenges with the current planning system
08:08 to make agreement fruitful for all parties.
08:11 The complexity of the situation means that we can't afford
08:16 to tackle this crisis piecemeal.
08:19 It's why the Rural Coalition has called on the government
08:23 to create, and I quote,
08:25 "a cross-departmental strategy for rural England,
08:28 "setting out a vision and policy framework
08:31 "to deliver sustainable growth
08:32 "for its communities and businesses,
08:35 "and encompassing farming and environmental concerns."
08:39 In welcoming the noble Baroness to her new position,
08:45 and I congratulate her on her appointment
08:47 and her debut at the Dispatch Box earlier this afternoon,
08:50 will she commit to going back to her department
08:53 and colleagues to press
08:54 with such a comprehensive rural strategy?
08:59 - I note with approval the renewed commitment
09:02 of the Prime Minister today
09:04 to achieve the government's housing target
09:06 by the end of 2024,
09:08 but I regret that in the statement
09:10 by the Secretary of State
09:12 for levelling up housing and communities,
09:14 the focus is on cities.
09:16 And once again, there is no recognition
09:19 of the scale of the housing crisis
09:21 in rural and coastal communities.
09:24 My Lord, it's a privilege to live
09:27 in one of the most beautiful countries in England.
09:30 Heaven is Devon.
09:32 But the picture postcard view of rural life
09:35 is only half the story.
09:36 This housing crisis isn't restricted
09:39 to a few beauty spots,
09:41 and I believe it's not something
09:43 the market can solve by itself,
09:45 as some people believe.
09:48 The absence of housing supply,
09:50 the diversity of people's needs,
09:52 and the immense pressure in the system
09:55 mean that neither the market
09:57 nor any single organisation or individual
09:59 can make a difference that we all long for.
10:02 Without partnership and systemic change,
10:06 the spiral of deprivation will become more acute.
10:10 The government needs to recognise
10:12 the scale of the problem.
10:15 We need cross-departmental working
10:18 and cross-party agreement
10:20 to forge a coherent long-term strategy
10:24 that will secure good housing
10:25 and the flourishing of our rural and coastal communities.
10:30 I hope that such a coalition of goodwill
10:33 will begin here and now, today.
10:36 (All) Amen.
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