THE waiting list for council houses in York has been reported as reaching 4,651.

This shortage of council homes is presumably due to the affordable houses regularly referred to as required to be part of any proposed housing development.

In the meantime, the present numbers of those who are in affordable homes and are in arrears of rent are 8,598, amounting to £3.7 million.

Maybe it is time to discard the description affordable homes. The reason is fairly obvious – these homes are no longer affordable to the many.

Private owners cannot have a home unless they can persuade a bank or building society they can afford a mortgage. If these people were treated more favourably and were able to acquire mortgages a little more easily, there might be fewer people on the waiting list for the unaffordable homes.

J Beisly, Osprey Close, York.