Having moved to Peebles in 2002, self-proclaimed ‘stooriefit’ Bosco Santimano gives us his own take on what he feels is the hot topic of the day. This week it’s affordable housing.

What is the definition of affordable homes? Or rather how much do they cost and what factors determine the price or rent of a home?

Politicians keep harping about building more affordable homes but during the last Scottish Borders local elections, I asked this question to wanna be councillors at the hustings in Peebles, none had an answer. When I spoke to government and council officials about how much a two-bedroom place would cost under 'affordable homes' in Peebles, the answers you got depended on where and who you were talking to i.e. their pay grade and socio-economic status.

Policies, whether local or national, favour the rich and the powerful and local communities are left to pick up the pieces of what remains of their lives. It now takes two to four weeks to get a GP’s appointment or the other alternative is to phone on the day and try to get an emergency appointment with any GP!

Banks and other lenders currently offer anything from 2.5 times to four times your gross salary for a mortgage with anywhere from 60 per cent to 100 per cent loan to value on a property.

It’s not rocket science once you make some very basic calculations. An individual on £75,000pa will define £250,000 as affordable but an individual on the minimum wage (over 25s) earning only £17,076.80pa would class £68,000 as affordable taking the four times lending criteria.

A couple on a combined salary of £34,153.60 would be able to access to £137,000, way short of what is actually the price of a home in Peebles. The figures just don’t add up. The Scottish Borders is the lowest wage area in Scotland and jobs opportunities are minimal especially for young people and families. I have done these calculations for the benefit of our elected representatives, so they know their figures and stop lying to the public.

We need more council and housing association homes in the area not more of Lego land at extortionate prices that only individuals on high salaries can afford, ultimately pricing out locals from the area. Plus no selling of properties as second homes.

The local rent set out by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is £312 per month for one bedroom flat in Peebles. If you are renting through a housing association then the costs are very reasonable, but not with a private landlord. The current rents are anywhere from £450 upwards in an area like Peebles! Not so affordable after all.

Some of our own elected representatives think they are above us all and we are to be blamed for this sad state of affairs as we hand our trust to individuals who have their own agendas; be it party politics or own self-interest.

As anybody with a bit of common sense will tell you, more houses = more people = more cars = more strain on limited resources. It seems to me that our elected members don’t quite understand these issues.