"WE JUST WANT A DECENT HOME FOR OUR KIDS"

A TRURO COUPLE CALL FOR HELP TO FIND AFFORDABLE LOCAL HOUSING

The Davis Family live in a chalet surrounded by caravans condemned as unfit for human habitation because they are not a priority case for council help and have nowhere else to go.

Stuck in a classic catch 22 situation Shaun and Chantelle, both 24, find themselves victims of a desire to improve their standard of living for the sake of their two young children.

"When Nathan was born we were living in a horrible caravan on this site," explained Chantelle.

"Shaun was out at work during the day, and I didn't have anyone to help me. The caravan was damp, had rotten floors, and condensation pouring down the windows. It wasn't a suitable place to bring up a baby. We were on the waiting list to get a council house, but it could have been years, so we decided to move into this chalet."

"We look after our home, and try and make the most of what we have. It's just we cannot move on from here now because so many people are in even worse places than us. We feel penalised for trying to help ourselves."

Shaun works for Carrick District Council and says the rent for private houses in Truro is just too much.

"There is no way we can afford £600 or more a month for rent and then pay our bills." Shaun said.

"Unfortunately for us we would have been better off staying in the caravan we were in because the council would have prioritised us and given us a council house by now."

He continued: "I grew up on this caravan park. I can live anywhere, but we want something better for our children. My son goes to his friend's houses to play after school, but lots of parents aren't happy to let their kids come and play up here because it has such a bad reputation - it's not going to take long for him to realise that people are looking down on him because of where he lives."

Cornwall's housing boom of recent years has left a generation of local families without any chance of getting on the property ladder.

"Renting a private house is totally out of the question for Shaun and Chantelle. They keep their home immaculately but there is no disguising the growing damp and rotting windows. The property is just not what young families in the 21st century should be living in," Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Terrye Teverson said.

"But how can they move to better accommodation? There is no way of getting a mortgage, private rental is too expensive and they're low down the waiting list for a council house because they have looked after what little they have - it seems so unfair."

Mrs Teverson has been working with Shaun and Chantelle to see if there is a way for them to move out of the chalet and into more suitable accommodation.

"Mrs Thatcher sold off local authority council housing in the 80's. This was great for those who could buy their homes cheaply - but it's today's young families who are paying the price because there is simply no-where for them to go. We need to build new social housing if we are going to provide a safety net for low paid families."

"It's never popular to build new homes particularly in somewhere as beautiful as Cornwall, but the current situation for low paid families is morally wrong. Many homes are empty most of the year only used as holiday cottages or second homes - it's not sustainable and it's not fair."