HOUSE prices in York shot up by more than seven per cent last year. The rise took the price of the average property in the city to almost £250,000. That may be welcome news to those who already own their own home. But for younger people trying to get their first foot on the housing ladder, it is a disaster.

Younger people - who we will rely on to fill the jobs and provide the services that will guarantee York’s future prosperity - are being priced out of the city.

Land Registry figures show the average York house price (£246,109 as of May this year) was well above the average for England as a whole (£237,662). It was higher than Ryedale (£214,000) and North Yorkshire (£212,000) and almost two and a half times the price of the average home in Hull (£104,000).

Such ridiculous house price inflation can’t continue if we want York to remain the open, inclusive, well-balanced city that it is. So what can be done?

York Central’s Labour MP Rachael Maskell says we urgently need to start building more family-sized, social and affordable housing. She blamed the delays in the local plan for York suffering a 52 per cent fall in the number of new affordable homes completed in 2015/16. “The lowest earners in York are now having to find 8.9 times their earnings to afford the cheapest properties,” she said.

York Outer Conservative MP Julian Sturdy says the house prices reflect the fact that York is such a fantastic place to live. And so they do. But how much longer will it remain a great place to live if it becomes a dormitory city for wealthy older people?

We need to get on with building those affordable homes quickly. And that means we need a local plan.

Local politicians of every colour are equally to blame. They need to get on with it.