A DORSET campaign group has called on all political parties to prioritise affordable housing in the county.

The local Campaign to Protect Rural England group says that with over 10,500 on the housing waiting list and first-time house prices continuing to rise solutions desperately need to be found to the crisis.

A Dorset CPRE spokesperson said: "The provision of affordable housing is a major campaign issue for all political parties. Soaring house prices, the cost-of-living crisis and wages that have failed to rise in line with inflation have contributed to exacerbate an already dire situation. In 2021 figures released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities showed that 10,525 households were waiting for an affordable social house in Dorset – the true figure is likely to be much higher. The average price paid for a first home in Dorset has risen to a staggering £282,000 (source Office for National Statistics, March 2024)."

Dorset CPRE says it believes strongly that the delivery of housing which addresses the county's real needs requires careful consideration.

To help understand the issues the group has organised a free online conference on Thursday, 20 June with presentations by national and local experts in Affordable Housing.

The event will be chaired by the Crossbench Peer and Social Housing Leader, Lord Richard Best, with an introduction by Dorset CPRE President and former Chief Correspondent of BBC News, Kate Adie.

Mike Allen from Dorset CPRE will address 'What new homes are needed in Dorset, how many and who is paying?'. Dr Quintin Bradley, Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, will review the relationship between affordability and housing need and the mismatch between the standard method housing requirement targets and the backlog of unmet need.

Elizabeth Bundred-Woodward and Brad Taylor from National CPRE will present the findings of CPRE's report, 'Unravelling a crisis:the state of rural affordable housing in England', with a focus on Dorset and the Southwest.

Paul Derrien, Dorset Council Housing Enabling Team Leader, will give an insight into the challenges facing Dorset and the Council's plans for the future. Alison Ward, Director of Middlemarch, will provide an overview of Community Land Trusts, their benefits and local examples.

More information and joining instructions can be found on www.dorset-cpre.org.uk.

A PDF copy of 'Unravelling a crisis:the state of rural affordable housing in England' can be found on https://www.cpre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/State-of-Rural-Affordable-Housing_online.pdf