FOLLOWING new evidence which shows that young people in Cornwall have the worst chance of getting on to their local housing ladder than anywhere else in the country, local MP Matthew Taylor has pledged his commitment to finding a solution to the problem.

According to research commissioned by housing intelligence business Hometrack, across the country around a quarter of young working households have very little chance of getting on to their local housing ladder.

The figures show that the South West suffers from the widest affordability gap between incomes and house prices, and within the region Cornwall is hit hardest, with more than 50 per cent of first time buyers unable to own their own home in some parts.

The Truro and St Austell MP has recently been asked by Gordon Brown to look into the huge discrepancies between low wages and rocketing house prices in rural areas.

Mr Taylor said: "Young people in Cornwall, often already saddled with tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt from university, are now having to give up on the possibility of owning their own home near their families and the places they grew up because of sky high house prices and dismal local wages, and as a result they are being forced out in their droves. The county suffers as a whole as some of our best talent is being leaked out because they simply cannot afford to live here.

"These figures highlight again what a real and pressing issue the lack of affordable rural housing is. I met with members of the Planning and Affordable Housing Team at Carrick this morning, and I am determined to report back to Downing Street with practical solutions that ensure young local families looking to own a home get a fair deal and a good start."