As an 18-year-old who has grown up in Horden and lived on a street due to be knocked down because of a compulsory purchase order, the housing problem is a stark but unsurprising one that I’ve only seen get worse throughout my lifetime – especially after ownership of the homes went from housing associations to private landlords when I was a kid (A house for £1? What a day at a property auction taught me about the UK housing crisis, 18 May).
I love where I am from so much, but it is an area crying out for change, and the amount of press attention that Horden gets shows it. I myself feel part of the problem as I am relocating to the saturated north-west to start a degree apprenticeship in Manchester – not because I wanted to move away, but I felt as if there wasn’t the same opportunity at home, although I will certainly move back.
