Housing dilemma

Much is being said about the so-called ‘inter-generational contract’.

I have even heard it suggested that older people, having climbed the ladder themselves, are deliberately pulling it up after them. This is untrue and inflammatory.

Housing is a core problem. If people cannot buy houses, they have less control over their lives, and cannot benefit from rises in house prices. But giving young people handouts will not solve this; it will merely push prices higher.

There are simply too few houses. The UK’S population is growing rapidly, from 60.8 million in 2006 to 65.6 million in 2016, a rise of 7.9 per cent. Also, households have become smaller, and on average we are building only half the new houses needed to accommodate them. What happens if ten households try to buy nine homes? Prices go up to the point where the tenth family is priced out of the market. Perhaps 85 per cent of the rise in population is due to mass immigration. It is ironic that young people generally favour the free movement of people, since this is in large part the cause of their problems.

GEORGE BYRON Comely Bank Avenue,

Edinburgh