Kevin Price – The New Listener

07:08 Wednesday 29th April 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: A typical working family hoping to take their first steps onto the property ladder would find no homes that they could afford in Cambridge. That is the bleak assessment from a report by the housing charity Shelter. They compared the asking prices for houses on a popular property website with what they calculated would be the average combined salaries of a couple in their 20s, so just over £30,000. And nationally they found families on that money could afford 17% of homes. In Cambridge 0%. Well Kevin Price is Labour’s Executive councillor for Housing on Cambridge City Council. Morning Kevin.
KEVIN PRICE: Good morning Dotty.
DOTTY MCLEOD: And also with me on the line is Catherine Smart, who is the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Cambridge City Council. Morning Catherine.
CATHERINE SMART: Good morning.
DOTTY MCLEOD: So Kevin, do you accept this research? Is the situation really as bad as Shelter are saying?
Continue reading “Cambridge property – average earners priced out”

08:08 Tuesday 1st July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: The cost and quality of homes is the single most important issue for people in Cambridge. That’s the claim of Labour’s new executive councillor for housing. And given what we’ve heard this morning about just how difficult it is to actually find a place to live in the city, it’s no surprise, is it? Earlier we met Jenny Norman. She and her partner are looking to buy a three bedroomed house in Cambridge. They’re both earning and earning well, and have a thirty per cent deposit, and you’d think they’d be in a strong position.
(TAPE)
JENNY NORMAN: We’ve been looking for six months. We’ve viewed thirty one houses. We’ve put offers in on six, and we’re still unsuccessful. Last weekend we went and saw a property that was open for forty five minutes only, and that was it. They had fifteen parties through in that forty five minutes, and they needed best offers on Monday. And there are ten parties offering on that property including us, and it’s already twenty per cent over the asking price before they went to best and final offers.
(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: That’s amazing, isn’t it? And according to Jenny, the reason behind all of this, very simple.
(TAPE)
JENNY NORMAN: It’s just lack of supply. And do you know what it is? Cambridge is an awesome city. It’s beautiful. It’s a very desirable place to live and to raise a family and to work. And more people want to live here than what the city can currently house.
(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well the lack of housing is a problem every council in Cambridgeshire is facing of course. In Peterborough local MP Stewart Jackson suggested fining developers if they don’t build houses fast enough. In South Cambridgeshire the District Council has set up their own property company to build and sell houses. So what ideas does the new Labour administration of Cambridge City Council have? Well Kevin Price is their Executive councillor for Housing. Morning Kevin.
KEVIN PRICE: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: So, a bit of blue sky thinking. What are we going to be doing ?
Continue reading “Cambridge Housing Crisis a Test for Labour”