A LACK of new housing in the Selby district could mean the council has to make further cuts, a new report has warned.

The report, which will go before Selby District Council's Executive next week, says the authority is not producing enough new housing, and more work is needed to ensure demand is met.

Currently, the authority is required to build 450 new homes each year, but the report said change is required to try to avoid financial problems and ensure targets are met.

The report said the council's Core Strategy, which was agreed in December, said there were enough sites and permissions in the district to create 2,250 houses over the next five years, but the actual number of homes being built was "weak", and "the issue of under delivery now requires action by the council and the shortfall will need to be accounted for".

It said: "If, in dealing with the shortfall, the council does not have a five-year housing land supply, there is a high risk of unplanned development within the district on sites that may not otherwise have come forward.

"The council's financial strategy assumes a level of New Homes Bonus to be achieved each year and allocates this to support the General Fund revenue budget. Failure to achieve the assumed estimate will add further pressure to the council's savings requirement."

The report also states that at a public meeting to examine the council's Core Strategy, it was noted that "the short term issues of deliverability in Selby district were related to the downfall in the housing market", and the authority expected a shortfall in the early years of the scheme "due to the market depression".

It recommends the council "actively encourage, facilitate and assist delivery", and investigate the underperformance to date.

An event with developers is already planned for next week (JUNE 4), to look at the issues surrounding housing delivery in the district, and questionnaires have been sent to developers in advance.

The report said: "Once the council is able to ascertain any problems which are causing the low level of house building in the district compared to the target, it will then be able to scope potential solutions."