ISN'T it about time the Government sorted out our broken housing market in the North-East?

As chief executive of Fabrick Housing Group, I know of many families who are being forced to wait years for social housing. Most families simply can't afford 25 per cent mortgage deposits on very high house prices.

Renting from private landlords is expensive and is predicted to rise between 15 per cent and 20 per cent over the next five years.

This all means that too many families are suffering the hardship of overcrowding. Some are even being forced to live apart.

Fabrick Housing Group is doing its best to make a difference. We own 15,000 affordable homes across the North-East and Yorkshire region and last year we built more than 200 desperately needed new homes. Yet we know it's not enough.

Our neighbours and their children simply need more affordable housing. So we're supporting the National Housing Federation's call for the Government to make sure many more new homes are built and to reconsider the £300m annual funding it cut from regenerating our neighbourhoods.

I believe this will really help our hard-pressed communities as well as create more jobs.

Alison Thain,

Fabrick Housing Group.