AS a resident of Bournemouth, I’m concerned about the lack of serious local debate on the homes we need in our community when there’s clearly a big problem.

Many of us are finding it really hard to save enough money to get on the housing ladder, or are struggling with increasing rents while our salaries are staying the same. If things don’t change, young people in Bournemouth won’t be able to move out of home, own their own home in Bournemouth or will have to move to another part of the country where the housing situation is better.

We all need to be prepared to join in the local debate with our local councillors to tackle this problem, and think about how we can get the right homes in the right places at prices that are affordable for everybody in Bournemouth, especially young people like me.

Our community leaders can only act if more local people speak up and tell them things must change. The National Housing Federation have started a new campaign, called Yes to Homes, that will show people how we can make them listen.

You can join the debate and find out more at www.yestohomes.co.uk.We can only unravel our local housing crisis if we work together to produce change.

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