Last week latest mortgage repossession figures were published and they make grim reading. The number of repossessions in the first quarter of 2009 was up 23% from the previous quarter, with the number of homeowners behind with their mortgage repayments rising by 12%.
Amongst these figures another 14 families face losing their homes in the Ludlow Court area. The most obvious contributory factor is that people across the country continue to lose their jobs.
ONS figures also published last week show another 69 people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in Shropshire between January and March, bringing the total to 5,191.
That's a further 69 families struggling to pay their rent or mortgages and household bills.
We are now witnessing the highest rate of unemployment since 1996. As repossessions rise, it is evident that Government schemes are simply failing hard-working families.
3,000 families have asked for help under the £235m Mortgage Rescue Scheme but incredibly just one has received assistance to date.
Ministers have finally launched the Homeowner Support Scheme - 4 months after announcing it - but just 50% of lenders are actually supporting it.
This is a terrible time for politics in Britain. The public find it hard to fathom how most MPs could claim extravagantly for second homes at a time when most people are struggling to pay for one.
We've got big problems in this country. We need big change. If we win the next election, we'll be asking the whole country to come together to show social responsibility, personal responsibility and thrift. So the least we can do is to ask Parliament to live by those values as well.
