Workers in Dorset face struggle with rents rising to more than a third of the average pay

Analysis by the GMB union has shown the extent of problems with affordable rent in the area.

In both West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland the average monthly rent for a three bedroom property is more than 35 per cent more of the average wage.

The average rent also far outweighs the average wage when it comes to one bedroom and two bedroom properties.

The union is calling for a programme to build more homes.

In England, the average rent for a three bedroom property is 30 per cent of the gross average earnings.

In Weymouth and Portland the figure is 37 per cent and West Dorset it is 35 per cent.

For a one bed in Weymouth and Portland it is 23.5 per cent and 30.8 per cent for a two bed, with the figures at 23.3 per cent and 28.9 per cent in West Dorset.

The median monthly earnings in Weymouth and Portland in 2015 was £2,108 while the average rent in 2016 is £790.

In West Dorset people do make slightly more at £2,250 but rents are also slightly higher at £795.

Both West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council recognise the need to provide more affordable homes.

Cllr Gill Taylor, housing spokesman for WPBC, said: “Weymouth and Portland Borough Council recognises that there is a need to provide housing for local people, at a price that residents can afford. We also acknowledge that this is not easy in an area of low average wage, but high prices of houses to buy or rent.

“To support local people, the council works through its planning system to provide houses that are affordable. New housing development, where viable, has a proportion of houses to rent at lower cost than market rent, which we facilitate by working with housing associations.

“During 2015/16 we have supported building 80 ‘affordable’ homes in Weymouth and Portland, and we are continuing to work with developers to provide more.”

Cllr Tim Yarker, WDDC’s housing spokesman, said during 2015/16 the council supported the build of 88 affordable homes in the district and it will continue to explore options for further developments.

Paul Maloney, GMB Southern regional secretary, said: “These figures demonstrate the extent of the squeeze felt by workers and their families in Dorset since the financial crisis in 2008. Rents have surged upwards as pay has been stagnant or falling.

“They show that a massive programme to build more homes, especially homes for rent, by the Dorset authorities is absolutely essential and has to get underway without delay.

“We have been talking about this problem for far too long, there can be no excuses for not providing housing to people that they can afford to live in on average wages.”