AT long last it seems that the provision of affordable housing in Ilkley is becoming a priority for those who can most influence its generation.

The former International Wool Secretariat site on Valley Drive will see the provision of around 12 affordable homes, the Home Housing Association has bought four existing houses in the area in recent weeks and Bradford Council has a considerable sum to spend in the near future.

This is good news for young people who cannot possibly afford the vastly excessive house prices or private sector rents in the town. It is also good news for people on lower incomes, regardless of their age.

It is time that developers who come into the town to make vast profits should be made to show some social responsibility by providing a small portion of that profit to provide a roof over the heads of people who were born and brought up here.

Bradford Council and Ilkley Parish Council should be working flat out to facilitate this process to prevent the exodus of young people from the town.

The Ilkley Gazette has long campaigned for affordable housing, not because of an obsession with wealth distribution, but from a firm belief that a vibrant community needs its young people to stay healthy.

Being born and brought up in such a fine town is a fortunate circumstance, but fortunate people should not be later penalised and have to move away because they do not earn around £70,000-a-year in their first job.

We venture to suggest that the fact that the issue seems to have acquired extra importance in the last few months is partly due to the Gazette's campaign. We regard it as a huge compliment that people have apparently been taking notice of a responsible community newspaper.