COUNCILLORS have clashed over claims that the local authority has failed to provide homes that people need.

The leader of Wirral's Conservatives, Ian Lewis, hit out at Social landlords and Wirral Council after figures showed a record 8810 families waiting for accommodation in the borough.

Cllr Lewis accused the council of failing to identify sites that could be redeveloped to meet housing needs.

Wirral's Labour cabinet member for housing and planning Stuart Whittingham hit back, saying that everything was being done to address the housing need.

He also attacked Cllr Lewis' "mind-boggling temerity", blaming the Government for taking away billions in funds from projects that could have been used to develop affordable housing schemes.

Councillor Ian Lewis said: "The Town Hall, by failing to produce a Local Plan since 2004, has failed to identify the brownfield sites in the borough that could be redeveloped to meet our housing needs.

"At the same time, social landlords have creamed off the most profitable sites to boost their balance sheets instead of playing their part.

"This record of failure cannot be acceptable when we have so many families on the waiting list.

"Our urban areas - such as Liscard and New Ferry, are crying out for investment to provide the homes that people need.

"It's also disappointing that, almost 12 months after taking office, the Council's Cabinet has failed to build a single new council house.

"We can only hope that, when the Cabinet is abolished in May, the new Housing Committee will finally get to grips with providing homes for the many, not the few."

Cllr Stuart Whittingham said: "Councillor Lewis' concern about the housing needs of the many not the few is touching.

"Sadly it is also astoundingly hypocritical coming from the representative of a party that has presided over the most severe housing crisis in decades.

"Beginning with Thatcher’s bonfire of council house building through the right to buy and ending with a record increase in the number of homeless people under the Cameron, May and Johnson regimes, the Tories have blocked councils and social housing providers from building houses that can genuinely meet the needs of the many.

"Let's remind ourselves of the national picture.

"According to the National federation of Housing in a report in September 2019, after almost 10 years of Tory rule the situation was 8.4 million people across England are directly affected by the housing crisis – that’s one in seven people.

"People are affected in a variety of ways, including living in overcrowded homes, living with ex-partners or parents, living in unsuitable homes, such as homes that are not suitable for people with mobility issues and people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

"Of these 8.4 million, around half – 43% or 3.6 million – would need a social rented home to meet their needs.

"How the representative of a party that has cut and capped housing benefit, introduced the bedroom tax and taken away billions in funds from projects to develop affordable housing schemes can have the temerity to criticise Labour is mind boggling.

"Of course if councillor Lewis wants us to follow the lead of councils where his party is in power - like Kensington - we know exactly where that housing policy leads: shoddy builds, high rents, cost cutting and tragedy. Remember Grenfell."

A spokesperson for the council said: "Wirral Council has agreed a demanding timetable with the Government to deliver the borough’s Local Plan and has met every deadline to achieve this, with the Council's preferred option of focusing on urban and brownfield sites.

"Wirral Council has not been a council house builder for many years but has worked closely with developers to encourage new homes to be built in the borough to meet demand.

"Just this week the authority approved planning permission 189 new homes at 20-acre site in Rock Ferry, which was the site of the former high school, and is looking at proposals for a 257-home Bellway scheme on the site of the former Burton Biscuits factory off Pasture Road, Moreton.

"And last year saw planning permission for hundreds of new homes including 178 off Beaufort Road in Birkenhead.

"While three residential projects at Wirral Waters which are under construction include a £90m development of one and two-bedroom apartments and affordable homes as well as a £55m House by Urban Splash development of modern, modular homes and the Belong Village, a specialist dementia care scheme."