Politicians and their families…

This week’s sermon is about the blessing and the curse that are families. First of all, I want to start with an utter condemnation of the oily little tick who set fire to the Prime Minister’s family home in his North London constituency. This home was occupied by his sister-in-law and her family and it’s a miracle that this incident was not more serious. It is completely reprehensible that anyone could target the family and property of a politician as a protest. 

Staying in North London, I will quote from the Evening Standard: “Ed Milliband’s High Court judge wife has objected to the construction of a new block of flats near to their family home, claiming it is “too tall, too bulky and too dense”…  It comes as Sir Keir Starmer pledges to crack down on so-called ‘nimbys’ who use legal challenges to obstruct major infrastructure projects, in a bid to boost economic growth…” Mrs Justice Thornton isn’t the only objector to the proposed six-storey development, actor Benedict Cumberbatch also objected with a fully completed NIMBY bingo card. 

Staying on the topic of families, Savills released a report last week that said more than half of first-time buyers received financial help from their family to make house purchases last year…An average of £55,572 was given in loans and gifts by the so-called bank of mum and dad to buyers. Young buyers faced relatively high mortgage rates in 2024, while also seeing the cost of renting increase. Many potential first-time buyers have also faced financial strain from the rising cost of living, and particularly from the greater expense of renting, although the latter may have encouraged more to get on to the ladder more quickly.The annual increase in rent paid to private landlords breached 9% last year, forcing many to live with their parents in their 20s and 30s.

What I can’t understand is why people are so short sighted… or perhaps they are just selfish. We all have families, we all care about the people we love and we want the best for all of them. Everyone has got parents or people that care or cared for them. We care about people. I don’t have children, but I have nephews and little second cousins ranging between two and twelve. I worry about them, I worry about their student debt, I worry about what lives they will inherit from us. 

I won’t lie to you, I don’t come from money, I don’t own a house and I have no prospect of owning a house. I am very nearly 50 and I don’t have the level of savings to get a mortgage I can pay off before I have to retire (unless I work until I am 89… and let’s be honest, with the stress I am exposed to dealing with planning, I’ll be lucky if I see 60!). I have made peace with the fact that I won’t own a house I can leave to the kids. I’m spending it all on rent paying off the mortgage for someone else. 

I might not be leaving the kids much more than a flat full of tat they might get a few bob for at auction but I will be damned if I don’t leave them with a better future where they might actually stand a chance of owning a house. 

So, if you are a Councillor or a NIMBY (or both) think about your legacy… did you stop development to make your transients life easier or are you leaving a legacy for the future generations. 

Until next week,

Henry