Counties are taking matters into their own hands to deliver homes for their communities, with many enlisting the help of private sector firms. Cllr Philip Atkins looks at the progress so far

W hen you consider that it is the eye-watering property prices of London and England’s major cities that traditionally grab the headlines, the casual observer would be forgiven for thinking that the country’s affordability crisis was exclusive to urban areas.

But there is a growing recognition that the housing crisis is affecting communities the length and breadth of the country; from the South East to the North West, and from the cities to England’s counties. Last year, house prices in county areas rose at treble the rate of London’s rise, and property prices are nine times annual earnings for county workers.