I was very interested to read the article in your September newspaper. I would very much like to downsize to a 2-bedroom flat with living room, bathroom and kitchen.
Unfortunately I live in Exeter where the city council’s priority appears to be to authorise building of flats for students, particularly for university students the majority of whom come from abroad. Trying to persuade the “city fathers” to start looking at good quality accommodation for the elderly is hard work; I have even tried to persuade them that a mix of accommodation to cater for students/people starting on their career ladder/older residents wishing to downsize with no positive reply. I became accustomed to “community living” when I was abroad. The different age groups blended in well and if anyone was ill, short of milk, or having a special birthday all of us chipped in to help out – especially with the birthdays!
The idea that the government might be amenable to reducing, or even cancelling, stamp duty land tax to enable this to happen, would certainly be a sensible move.
Caroline Witts, Exeter
