Local residents up and down the country’s prettiest seaside towns are increasingly being priced out at an alarming rate.
The housing squeeze in nearly all coastal towns has been blamed on a pandemic property boom and the rise of short-term holiday stays.
In Devon, a new analysis found that the average home costs more than 10 times the average income, rising to 28 times in some rural areas.
The southwest has the highest concentration of holiday lets in England.
One young mother, named Charlotte, was forced to move miles away from her home, her family and her friends.
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Speaking to Sky News, Charlotte broke down in tears as she spoke about the lack of a solution to the problem.
Charlotte is living in temporary accommodation in Barnstaple after relying on support from the local council.
She can no longer afford to drive to her job since the fuel cost has doubled.
Speaking through tears, Charlotte said: “Everyone is saying to hold out and you’ll find something, but until you’re in this situation, you don’t know what it is like.”
Matt Dodd, from the Devon Housing Commission, said short-term holiday stays have risen by 35 percent in two years, leading to 50 percent fewer homes on the private rental market.
Landlords can often get more money renting short-term than to locals all year round.
Emma Dee Hookway, a housing activist in Braunton, Devon, told Sky News: “The short-term let situation is really beginning to push local people out because most people in this area are on minimum wage.
“The minimum wage and average house costs just don’t match up at all.”
Westminster is considering new powers to require a planning application for short-term let conversions. But, Simon Jupp, the Conservative MP for East Devon, has urged the national government to act faster.
It is thought that housing could play a major role in the General Election this year for coastal regions.
Research shows 108 constituencies in England and Wales that contain at least one coastal town would like a change in housing policy, sparking the newly dubbed ‘Sea Wall’ voting bloc.
Most of the coastal areas are currently Conservative strongholds – but according to the research, the party is at risk of losing these seats over the housing crisis.
