Council on high alert due to lack of housing

The council report said that there would not be enough homes to meet demand

A council has been placed on high alert after an assessment revealed a lack of housing for its population.

The report by City of Wolverhampton Council predicted that the city would need more housing for "many years to come" due to the structure of its population.

It said there would be a need for more specialist and supported housing units as demand rose and waiting lists increased.

The assessment was based on the risk and likelihood that there would be a lack of housing supply and concluded that vulnerable residents could be housed in temporary accommodation.

New affordable homes were in the pipeline, including work on about 80 new units this year, however there would not be enough building in the next four years to meet demand, the report said.

Councillor Stephen Simkins predicted that providing temporary accommodation would be one of the highest demands on council spending in the next three years.

In July, housing secretary Angela Rayner overhauled England's planning rules to help deliver Labour's promise of 1.5 million new homes by 2029.

Measures included reintroducing mandatory house building targets for councils and the creation of 300 new planning officer roles.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.