A fall in house prices can only be a good thing

“A fall in house prices is a bad thing.’’

What a load of nonsense!

When the price of anything is lower it is deemed a good thing for consumers. And it is no different for housing. There will be different reasons why prices are lower, but the end result of a lower price is good for consumers. That some have to borrow and pay higher borrowing costs to pay for housing is an entirely different article.

I long for the days when the cost of a house reflected a much lower multiple of average earnings. And so should everyone else. Everyone should be able to afford to live in decent housing.

I know no-one who does not want housing to become more attainable.

All political parties want that. The real secret is to build more houses and provide more council houses. Over decades all political parties have talked a good talk. We all know the reality.

Philip Pound

London

As the hand-wringing over our surging interest rates continues unabated, and gleeful pundits predict a tanking of the housing market, you’d assume it was all bad news for borrowers. But conversely, you’d also assume savers would be coining it in, wouldn’t you? “A rising tide lifts all boats” is one of those truisms we hold dear, but sadly when it comes to the banks it seems it isn’t quite so true.

Mortgage rates follow the upward trajectory with immediate effect, and you’ll find your bank won’t be dragging its feet in advising you of the new rate. But when it comes to my meagre savings it’s a different story. No announcements emails or letters in the post announcing an immediate upward lurch in my savings rate, and a call to one of their calls centres was countered with blank incomprehension when I asked about it.

Bank profits will lurch upwards again on the strength of the Bank of England’s ineffectual measures to curb inflation. While we dupes just take it on the chin, our chancellor offers nothing more than a hapless shrug and allows another uncontrolled sector of our economy to fleece us with impunity.

Steve Mackinder

Denver

They say that the cream always rises to the top.

What happens, though, when politicians who are in charge of the entire assets of the state, start appointing the incompetent and the corrupt into all the top positions, and then slip in the odd bad apple to catalyse this witches brew?

The only thing left that can possibly appear on the top at that stage is scum.

Of course, the same thing can be said of the electorate when they make the same choice when appointing politicians, which results in where we are now – a feedback loop that makes sense of runaway capitalism and supercharged climate change.

Liam Power

Dundalk

I read Claire Pike’s letter in praise of the unappreciated ticket office, soon to be killed off by managers who seem to only see the bottom line, in absolute agreement. Like Claire, I usually don’t need the ticket office as I just buy on those machines.

However, I was so grateful we have one at our station because they could give my Ukrainian refugees a family rail pass immediately instead of having to wait for an online one, which they would have found hard to fill in. They help disabled people, tourists, the elderly and confused. Oh, but I forgot, the rail companies don’t care about them do they?

Eleanor Holloway

Berks