As usual with this small but very complex country of ours there are some pockets that are experiencing bizarre and specialized problems in the housing sector.
The area in the news at the moment is Reading where it is reported that housing prices are around nine times the average income.
The outcome of such a difficult situation is that there are nearly 5000 people on the waiting list for social housing. The strain on the public housing sector must be enormous and with a waiting list that long it is fair to say it is not coping that well.
The council in the area is putting the blame at the doorstep of the national government though not anyone in particular. They say successive governments have refused to allow the council to build enough homes and the result is a serious housing shortage that threatens one of the most basic of our human rights; shelter.
With no affordable housing in Reading and social housing filled to the gills, it is hard to see how the problem can be quickly resolved.
It is quite possible that the private rented sector will have a role to play but even that looks fraught. If the houses on the market are so high priced how will prospective landlords afford to buy them and then rent at an affordable price.
It is quite a scary thing that is going on there.
