COUNCILLORS have signed off a commitment to provide better housing over the next 10 years – with thousands of Warrington residents currently on the waiting list.

At Monday’s executive board meeting, Warrington Borough Council adopted its new housing strategy for 2018 to 2028.

The document sets the agenda for building new sustainable homes, improving existing properties to make them safer, providing housing advice to residents and helping the ageing population to live at home independently.

Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, executive board member for public health and wellbeing, said: “Our overall vision is to provide homes that meet people’s needs, where they want to live, and to enable a decent quality of life.

“It aims to raise standards and focus on housing that is safe, clean, affordable, healthy, secure and sustainable.

“We do face a housing crisis in this country and in this town we need more housing.”

The new town hall strategy comes at a time when there are 1,046 families on the waiting list for social housing in Warrington, as well as 1,237 couples or single residents.

Cllr Hans Mundry, executive board member for highways, transportation and public realm, highlighted that since the 1970s, 160,000 homes have been built a year across the country – compared to the required rate of up to 275,000 homes a year.

He said: “The housing shortage has been growing for a long time.

“Moving forward we need to try and meet the needs of Warrington’s population, the growing needs of the town and the growing needs of the nation.”

Housing should also meet standards to reduce fuel poverty, cut pollution and support community cohesion, according to the strategy.