Until recently a magnet for brown field site building, housing developments in Tamworth are now becoming ghost towns of deserted building sites and unsold new properties. On Quarry Hill, flats built a year ago are being offered “to move in” for £99. In Two Gates building work has slowed right down whilst on the old Dumulos Farm site on Dumulos Lane, no one seems to be working.

Mr. Pincher said:

“I was out with my team in Glascote village campaigning for action to reduce the cost of living on hard pressed families. Walking past deserted developments like the one in Dumulos Lane brings home to you just how the credit crunch is biting. The construction industry – which employs many people directly or indirectly – is on its knees. At the same time the horror of home loss is being realised by more and more people. In just a few hundred yards I saw three houses with repossession notices in their windows – one in Wyvern and two on the Glascote Road. Three empty houses which were once people’s homes.”

“Action is needed to help the housing market and to help hard pressed families keep down the cost of living so they can hang onto their homes.”

This comes as the latest official Government figures show that homes across the area were hit with repossession orders last year, with 231 orders being issued by Stafford County Court. The number is likely to rise.

Conservatives want more help for first time buyers who are suffering from the credit crunch as mortgage lenders are demanding larger deposits. Conservatives are calling for stamp duty to be abolished for first time buyers, for homes up to £250,000. This will help people who can afford it to get onto the housing ladder.

To help struggling homeowners Conservatives are calling on mortgage lenders to do more to help these families by:

·          Contacting home owners 3-6 months before the end of their fixed rate mortgage period,

·          Offering free financial advice, and

·          Not imposing sudden hikes in repayments.

Mr. Pincher also wants the government to get its hand out of people’s pockets so they have more money to spend on essentials. He is campaigning to stop the imposition of the new Vehicle Excise Duty that will add more than £100 to many cars’ tax duty and to reduce the tax take on petrol prices.

He said: