PUBLIC Health Scotland recently demonstrated links between poverty, poor housing, and poor mental and physical health:

Inadequate or unaffordable housing is bad both for public health and for social cohesion. Safe, accessible, high-quality housing, with access to greenspace and local amenities where people want to live, is fundamental. First priority for achieving this? Affordability.

The Scottish Government’s route-map for delivering on this is ‘Housing to 2040’, but East Lothian’s private sector rentals and home ownership offer major affordability challenges. Million-pound homes and proliferating second homes price out of the market the young, key workers, families on low incomes, and those starting out in social care, nursing, teaching or other professions.

Although the county is thriving, with population growing by a third over the next 15-20 years, homelessness remains a scourge: second homes lie empty and expensive short lets are beyond reach as permanent homes.

The Bank of Scotland reported the average house price in Scotland’s seaside towns as £159,067; East Lothian’s highest average: £401,590. The dial must be reset to achieve a greater balance.

Those working hard to live comfortably in our county aren’t the problem. ‘Unaffordability’ is fuelled not by home ownership itself but by ‘investment properties’ and lucrative short lets. In Wales, a proposed 300 per cent council tax increase for second homes in the most desirable areas prompted absentee owners to protest the surcharge was unaffordable.

Ironically, it wouldn’t apply if owners lived in their properties, but local people born and brought up in Wales, as in East Lothian, can’t afford a first home, let alone a second one.

North Berwick’s French namesake, Biarritz, is also looking for solutions to second homes/short lets challenges identical to those here.

Attitudes to everything from wearing seat belts to equal rights have changed behaviours, making Scotland safer, fairer, healthier, and legislation can create a new housing mindset.

I would urge readers to respond to East Lothian Council’s consultation on the short-term lets control area which is considering making East Lothian a control area, and if so, which areas this would apply to.

Public and private housing must each contribute to the common good of our thriving, welcoming county. Good homes make good lives; we must achieve the right balance to protect our long-established communities.