THE government does not want to understand community housing needs, a council cabinet members says.

Councillor Farah Hussain, Labour cabinet member for housing, said Tory government restrictions on local government borrowing is hampering Redbridge Council’s attempts to build more homes.

Over nearly four years, 39 council homes have been built across the borough by the administration. No council housing was built between June 2014 and June 2016.

Cllr Hussain blamed the government for hindering council house building and accused them of not prioritising housing for the most in need.

She said: “We have more housing in the pipeline. The government is restricting our borrowing so we can’t borrow to build. The government’s preventing us from spending our right-to-buy receipts on new homes.

“My message to families on the waiting list is we are doing everything possible to build as many as we can. I am working with councillors across the city to lift government restrictions. 

“The government does not want to understand the housing crisis. They want to build homes for sale, not social rent.”

However, Cllr Gwyneth Deakins, leader of Redbridge Liberal Democrats, disputes the number of homes completed by the current administration.

The Liberal Democrat leader said despite being finished under Labour, 16 homes in Manford Way, Chigwell, started under the previous administration.

She said: She said: “Labour can only take credit for 23 council homes being built. I was shocked but not surprised at the overall number. I would say they should build hundreds of homes a year rather than tens.”

Cllr Deakins criticised the council’s reorganisation of the housing department.

She said: “Families are desperate for rehousing. There are families with kids in my ward in two-bedroom flats. These are the people who are being let down by the council’s failure.

“They decided to split up the housing department into several other departments. We were promised it would be wonderful then 18 months later they put it back together again. In that period it was chaotic and nothing significant got done.

“They clearly haven’t prioritised building new homes. If you care about something then you say this is what we will do come hell or high water. They haven’t done that.”

Cllr Hussain rejected criticism of the housing department and defended the council’s record.

She said: “The housing department is in a much better position today than it was under the previous administration. 

“We are providing new homes for people and working with landlords to improve accommodation. We are doing things the previous administration couldn’t even imagine.”