As an 18-year-old who has grown up in Horden and lived on a street due to be demolished under a compulsory purchase order, the housing problem is a stark but unsurprising reality that has only worsened throughout my lifetime – especially after ownership of the homes shifted from housing associations to private landlords when I was a child.
A Community Crying Out for Change
I love where I am from deeply, but it is an area crying out for change. The amount of press attention Horden receives reflects this. I myself feel part of the problem as I am relocating to the saturated north-west to start a degree apprenticeship in Manchester – not because I wanted to move away, but because I felt there wasn't the same opportunity at home. However, I will certainly move back.
Maybe I should make clear that there is much to be positive about – as shown in your article about Ian McKellen's visit to Horden to formally open a new space for the theatre company Ensemble '84. As a young person, I feel a responsibility to beat the drum of optimism from time to time, but I don't see how the housing spiral in my village will end without a change in legislation instead of putting out individual fires (often literally).
The Paradox of Deprivation Measures
I see it as more than ironic, therefore, that when measuring deprivation, Horden scores as one of the lowest (least deprived) areas in the country in terms of housing, and then as one of the highest for every single other measure. I write this letter in the hope that someone with legislative power feels the urge to react, or at least have an honest conversation about how we've got to where we are. “Shy bairns get nowt,” as they say.
Robert Lodge, Horden, County Durham
