Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Election 2021: Tackling affordable housing

House prices in Cambridgeshire stand £50,000 above the national average, while in the city of Cambridge itself the difference is £200,000. With young voters struggling to afford their first step on the housing ladder, how are mayoral candidates planning to tackle the issue?

Poppy Huskinson, 23, is one of the many young people who want to know the answer.

She works in Cambridge but is forced to live with her parents in Hertfordshire because of prices in the county.

"That's definitely a problem for young people that come out of these universities and want to stay in these cities, [they] can't afford to live there," said Miss Huskinson.

According to Land Registry figures for February 2021, average house prices in Cambridgeshire are £307,069, well above the UK average of £249,309.

The average cost of a home in Cambridge over the last 12 months is £456,562 - and £235,238 in Peterborough.

All three candidates to be mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority agree that maximising affordable housing is key but have differing plans on the best way to create those homes.

In alphabetical order, they set out their plans below:

Nik Johnson, Labour

"Labour-controlled Cambridge City Council has delivered record numbers of new social houses to the communities of the city.

"We need to continue this program, identifying sites across the city and Greater Cambridgeshire, working with all partners to ensure rapid delivery of similar homes.

"I will work with local community groups and cooperatives to collaborate in achieving large numbers of new houses and will look to in-house expertise within the combined authority to reduce costs."

James Palmer, Conservatives

"I have developed the £100k home specifically to help working people in Cambridgeshire get on the housing ladder. The first 20 have or are being built, proving the success of the policy.

"I will seek to expand delivery to at least 10% of all homes built. The current policy of 40% of all homes for social rent does not offer the homes needed in this area and it is time to change the type of homes that are delivered and make sure they are homes that people want.

"The need for £100k homes is vast and the policy is unique to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough."

Aidan Van de Weyer, Liberal Democrats

"As mayor, I will focus on maximising the numbers of affordable houses built, especially homes to rent, not putting huge subsidies into gimmicks like James Palmer's £100k house, of which only four have been built.

"At South Cambridgeshire District Council, I have helped double the number of council houses that we are building. And I am ensuring that the new homes are spacious and energy efficient - so they are truly affordable for families to live in."

Current figures from the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), show that for every £100 spent by Cambridgeshire County Council 15p goes towards planning and development.

A special programme with all three candidates - called A Mayor for Cambridge and Peterborough - will be broadcast at 14:20 BST on Sunday on BBC One in the East.