ASKRIGG is the next dales ward to go under the microscope as the district authority assesses housing needs across Richmondshire.

A survey has begun to establish the need for affordable housing in the communities between Leyburn and Hawes.

The study is the latest to be carried out across Richmondshire, on a ward-by-ward basis, and will feed into Richmondshire District Council's housing strategy statement, which all authorities must produce.

Forms have been sent to parish councils in Askrigg and Bainbridge and the information provided will be used to help analyse the need for low-cost homes in an area where an average property sells for £159,000.

So far, Hawes had been identified as an area with a high demand for new affordable property.

Home Housing Association had provided 36 units in the past financial year and had received funding for a further four.

Head of planning with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Peter Watson, told a meeting of Upper Wensleydale Parish Council on Wednesday that the administration's policy was to ensure a proportion of affordable housing was provided by developers.

However, Richmondshire District Council's policy officer, Jane Ringer, confirmed that at present, most affordable housing in the dales is for rent because the open market has forced up property prices out of the reach of many local people.