Anthony Bernard, highlighting the needy, writes for the Journal.

Exmouth Journal: Exmouth Community Food Larder manager Anthony Bernard.Exmouth Community Food Larder manager Anthony Bernard. (Image: Archant)

A landlord has demanded £300 a month rent increase from a pensioner, forcing a move after 7 years by wanting 32.5% more.

Landlords are now demanding big increases simply because they can; blame is put on Estate Agents, but landlords set prices and search around to find an agent that will condone their level of profiteering.

The Government has rightly castigated Russian Oligarchs, but they have already stolen their wealth from Russia. Lower income households are being asked to augment the wealth of property owners - exactly what "oligarchs" have done to ordinary Russians.

If Parliament can pass legislation very quickly to penalise oligarchs, they could also do so to prevent ordinary UK residents being charged blackmail prices to remain in a well established home.

There is a need for legal controls to prevent such profiteering from tenants who have been renting for a year or more.

Which political party supports ordinary people? Jacking up rents when all other prices are rising is unethical and unfair. It is also bad business.

Bad landlords get bad tenants; extortionate rents lead to rent arrears, rent arrears leads to evictions, evictions lead to empty property, empty property has zero rent - what goes around comes around.

Meanwhile much emotional and financial upset could be avoided by basic fairness, common sense and some legislation to enforce good management.

Bullying and greed are not limited to rentals.

Property owners from the London area are causing huge price rises elsewhere. East Devon is certainly desirable and aflluent, but not as rich as the South East of England and people who are living and working here need a home.

People with less well paid jobs still want somewhere to live, for example council workers keeping bins collected, rubbish cleared and making 'East Devon an Outstanding Place'.

Some years back, on an early morning walk, I chatted to a council worker clearing up fish and chip wrappers and beer cans thrown out of a car window the night before.

"We need a better class of visitor," I joked. "It's not the visitors, it's the locals," he replied.

Affordable homes are essential; planning permission should not be granted unless the majority of a new housing project is "affordable" - we can't afford councillors approving anything less.

Milk supplies are threatened by rising dairy costs set against low prices fixed by big chains.

Keeping down the price of milk may be good selling strategy, seen from desks in smart offices, but when it doesn't work on the farm it doesn't work!! In the north, beer with cornflakes may be OK, but not here in Devon.

There is a proper price to pay for what we need; a proper wage for carers in homes, proper pay for workers in industry, and a proper price for milk.

Farmers can't afford time away from livestock to mount strikes or blockades; they have a very busy lifestyle that many of us don't envy - but if they find it satisfying, we are all happy.

The old ways had the huge benefit that everyone knew how the whole village worked and what was needed.

The modern world has the enormous benefit of large scale organisation and production, but we need to pay more attention to how the small things work.

Engineers know that massive problems often start with a very small squeak that goes unattended!!

That's enough, before you think I am 82 years old with an engineering background.