Farming has been at the centre of village life for centuries in many parts of West Sussex and at first sight villages such as South Harting near Midhurst appear to have changed little.

But there have been subtle differences which are unbalancing village life.

Rich commuters are moving in, driving up the prices of houses.

Often this means farm cottages or even barns are being converted into expensive homes while local people cannot afford them any more.

In South Harting, farm worker Brian Carter could not possibly live in a home there any more.

Villager John Hosking still lives there but his family's farm has been converted into homes. He has had to move into a former garage.

The traditional mix of rich and poor in villages such as South Harting is being obliterated. It means no one lives locally to carry out many of the jobs essential for village life to continue.

What the Government and local councils must do is ensure there is a continued flow of affordable homes in every village, if necessary by allocating a proportion of them for social housing in each development or renovation.

It will not be popular with all dev-elopers or every wealthy incomer but is essential to give local people the right, if they wish, to stay in their own villages.