[Ken Moss]

The house-building programme is an obvious choice for cuts, not least of all because we have over 2000 empty properties in Hyndburn and official figures show that we have a net inward migration of around 200 singles/families per year.

Renovation of these properties and the return of a portfolio of council-owned housing would be a far more prudent investment, although the Conservative stance is quite different. The only new housing we are really in desperate need of is sheltered accommodation for the elderly.

The thinking goes along the lines of building new 'affordable' housing so that those who want to rise above the terraces have something to aspire to but the average wage in Hyndburn is £18k and the average price of a new 'affordable' home is £150k so the figures don't actually add up that well.

Anyone moving to Hyndburn knows what they are going to get in terms of housing, so why try and turn us into something we're not at a time when money is tight? Cllr Wells pointed out recently that new housing estates are lying almost empty because no one in Hyndburn can afford them.

Personally, I'm far happier in my mid-terrace than a Barratts shoebox.