As a resident of the Teme Valley, I’m concerned about the lack of serious local debate about the homes we need in our community when there’s clearly a big problem.

Many of us are finding it hard to find innovative, cost effective/heat efficient homes for active elders when they downsize or are struggling with increasing rents while our pensions/income are staying the same.

If things don’t change, active elder people in the Teme Valley won’t be able to move within the area in which they have family, or will have to move to another part of the country.

According to the National Housing Federation, the number of people aged 30-44 has dropped nearly 9 per cent in rural areas over the last decade, despite numbers rising in urban areas.

We all need to be prepared to join in the local debate with our local councillors to tackle this problem, and think about how we can get the right homes in the right places at prices that are affordable for everybody in Teme Valley.

But our community leaders can only act if more local people speak up and tell them things must change. There’s a local campaign the community can join, called Yes to Homes, that will show people how we can make them listen.

You can join the debate at www.yestohomes.co.uk

Barbara Hankins

Teme Valley