79% of residents want a greater say in community development

I am sure that my fellow prospective candidates and other members of the R4U team will agree with me that far the response to our launch has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Everyone I have spoken to so far has been interested in what we are doing and in the chance to get more involved and have their voice heard in local matters. Nobody has yet said, ‘you must be mad to do it’, at least not to my face. I have even had a card from a couple I know in my ward, telling me what fans they are of John Lodge and inviting me for tea.

Perhaps this response is not surprising when a recent national poll found that 79% of people want a greater say in the development of their communities. That stat is from a very interesting report on housing from the Policy Exchange, which may be found here. The report also states that new British homes are now half the size of those built in the 1920s and are among the smallest in Europe. It seems strange that, while we expect progress in almost every area of life, when it comes to housing we should find ourselves paying more and more for less and less.

But change for the better is possible when people act together in their communities. So why not join us?