The East Devon District Council is currently reviewing its local plan.

The council says that it wants more affordable housing, including Rural Exception Sites, where affordable housing can be built in locations that would not normally qualify.

In its document "Meeting Housing Needs for All", the EDDC states: "We have deleted the 15 dwelling upper size threshold" for Rural Exception Sites".

Anybody reading this would believe that EDDC wants more affordable rural housing, but they certainly do not.

The council insists on an expensive Housing Needs Survey to justify the need.

These surveys are only posted to households who already have a home, so there can be little surprise that housing need is not identified.

A FOI Act request revealed that only three parishes in the whole of East Devon have conducted such a survey in the last two years.

Another FOI Act request identified 5,109 desperate families in need of a home.

EDDC does not recognise families on their housing waiting list as being in need.

Neighbouring Mid Devon District Council uses numbers on its Housing Waiting List to identify needs.

If the council genuinely wanted more affordable rural housing, they would change their local plan to use the numbers on their Housing Waiting List to identify needs.

Robert Persey
via email