EVERY TUESDAY

from putting down roots in a community.

We should be deeply concerned about this, because it isn’t just a matter of personal frustration for people priced out of a decent home.

Families realising their dream of having a home of their own are the glue that helps hold communities together, bringing renewal and fresh life. The friendships forged between children at the local school spread out to their families and build neighbourliness.

The mix of young, middleaged and elderly works for all three age groups, as they look out for each other, whether it’s an hour’s informal child-care whilst mum and dad are on the way home from work or doing some shopping for older people.

That’s the way that neighbourhoods have worked for generations. It’s what makes them tick.

But we’re in danger of losing that precious mix. Just how hard it is for the young to afford a home of their own was shown