MORE than 1,000 households are on the council's housing waiting list in West Devon — an increase of 54% since 1997, according to figures revealed by Shelter. The escalating need for social housing was just one of the issues highlighted at a major public debate last week on the housing crisis in the South West, which currently has more than 150,000 people on waiting lists for affordable housing. People from across the region attended Bristol Conference Hall to have their say on the issues facing the South West including the lack of affordable homes, the rise in second home ownership and the environmental impact of building much needed new homes. At the end of the debate the audience were asked to vote on the motion 'the Government should commit to building 6,000 social rented homes in the South West each year' and despite strong opinions from both sides of the debate, people overwhelmingly agreed. The lively debate, hosted by ITV West news anchor Peter Rowell, featured a panel of experts on housing including Cate le Grice Mack MBE, vice chair of the regional Rural Affairs Forum, Cllr Chanel Stevens, deputy director of the South West Regional Assembly, and Caroline Davey, Shelter spokesperson for the South West. Caroline Davey said: 'In a climate of soaring house costs and booming second home ownership, the increase in people waiting for affordable homes in the South West reflects the fact there is a desperate need for more social homes in the region. 'Our audience vote showed that most people agree the only solution to this problem is to build more affordable homes. Shelter is calling for 6,000 social homes to be built in the region as a first step towards addressing this issue.'
