I have now been wrongly quoted three times in the Hexham Courant. That is to say, the same misquote has been used three times. There is in fact still, as there was back in 2019 from when the misquote originated, no new social housing in Hexham. There is social housing – just not enough. In last week’s Courant, reporter Bill Edgar rightly drew attention to cases of local people knowing they have to look outside Hexham for homes they can afford to rent or buy. House prices in Hexham are high, private rents are high too. Many local people are priced out of the local housing rental and purchase markets. The shortage of truly affordable homes is acute, and county council staff accept, as a result, that Hexham currently has the highest level of housing need in the county.