It was good to see fellow candidates Gavin St. Pier and Sal Gilman canvassing in Town this lunchtime and even better to see voters engaging with them. Sadly, I was just passing through on my lunch break.
I don’t think I gained any new voters this evening at the Rockmount but I did walk away with some valuable insight and John Gollop’s winning steak from the meat draw! Huge thanks to John for that, even bigger thanks to the voters who taught me something important.
It turns out a personal mortgage becomes a commercial one the moment a property is let. That means a £1.5k monthly payment jumps to £1.9k. That’s before rent is charged to cover maintenance and (let’s be honest) profit. So a tenant might be paying £2.1k+ per month just to cover someone else’s loan. If they can’t afford a mortgage themselves, how can they afford that?
Maybe landlords aren’t the primary issue. Maybe it’s the lending system. But if we try to fix that, won’t it also hurt savers trying to build up a deposit?
This is the housing mess we’ve been left with. Solving it won’t be simple but with research, creativity and leadership, we can do better.
I’ll be at Beau Sejour all weekend. Even if you’ve already decided who you’re voting for (or can’t vote this time), come and say hello. These conversations matter.
Tom Moore for Deputy 