RESIDENTS have been told "a lot more" homes need to be built in St Helens in what has been labelled as an "uncomfortable truth".

The council’s cabinet noted the outcomes of the consultation feedback on the housing allocations policy, and approved the policy, during its meeting this week.

The report to cabinet presented the outcomes of the consultation on the draft policy, which provided a framework for the allocation of social housing in the borough.

In her report, the council’s director of communities Tanya Wilcock confirmed that the demand for affordable housing in the borough remains "high", with 8,999 applicants registered to the UnderOneRoof system.

Cllr Richard McCauley, cabinet member for regeneration and planning, shared his views during the meeting.

He said: “The sad fact is there’s not enough homes, there’s not enough social rented homes, there’s not enough affordable homes in the borough.

“The simple truth is we’ve got to build more, and we’ve got to build a lot more.

“It’s an uncomfortable truth for some people, they don’t like to admit it, but I fully support this.

“I just wish we could put more of them 8,000 people into homes tomorrow.”

In her report, Ms Wilcock stated it is important that the housing allocations policy prioritises the applicants "in the most housing need and can meet their needs efficiently".

She added: “In responding to this challenge, conducting a full consultation exercise and acting on independent legal opinion on the policy will ensure that the policy is robust in complying with the statutory framework and local context.

“A community impact assessment has been completed to inform this decision and has recognised that the allocations policy has a positive impact on social value by engaging a local organisation to deliver the allocations function and in assisting applicants who need to move to assist with employment.”