THE idea that Bournemouth council is to give mortgages is nothing new.

Back in 1970 we were renting a property and never looked like owning our own home.

Then I happened to spot in the Daily Echo that the council had some money left in their mortgage pot which needed to be used by the end of that financial year.

That would have been about January, and if anyone wanted a mortgage, all the paperwork had to be completed by March 31.

We applied straight away, found a property for £4,350, were accepted for a 100 per cent mortgage and moved in on March 31, 1970. We lived there for 30 years. We considered ourselves lucky to have a home of our own and all because I spotted a small piece in the Daily Echo and over 40 years later I still read it every day.

MR BALLAM, Belle Vue Road, Bournemouth