Housing crisis 'could last up to 20 years'

Speaking at the annual Weymouth and Portland Housing Forum conference at Moonfleet, Mr Knight said that immediate action was needed to improve the provision of affordable housing.

Mr Knight said: "I have made housing my top priority as both a local MP and in my role as a minister for rural affairs.

"There are housing problems and steps are being taken to address them but it cannot be done overnight. It may anything between five to 20 years."

A recent study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation revealed that Weymouth and Portland was the most difficult place in the country for young couples to get on the property ladder.

Figures revealed that more than half of all potential first time buyers did not earn enough money to buy even the cheapest two or three-bedroomed house.

Mr Knight said: "They fall into a bracket where younger working households earn too much to qualify for housing benefit but are too poor to buy the cheapest properties.

"There is opposition to housing developments and sometimes the objectors are right to oppose a property being built which might not be suitable for that area.

"But to tackle this problem we will also need to be able to show local leadership to make difficult decisions and to allow some development outside the development boundary."

The event was held over two days at Moonfleet Manor Hotel and included speeches, workshops and seminars.

Mr Knight said: "The problem though isn't purely the lack of housing but the fact that the Dorset is a real hotpot of low wages and high house prices.

"There is a chance that young families will move elsewhere to areas where there is cheaper housing and higher wages and if this happens we will be left with an ageing population."

"The value of holding a conference like this is that it gives the organisations involved in housing the chance to get together and discuss ideas. They can also go on to form partnerships which benefit those who are experiencing difficulties."