A Waltham Forest cabinet member has called for more freedom for councils to build social homes.

Prime Minister Theresa May promised to lift the cap on how much money local authorities can borrow to build new houses last week and while councillors have welcomed the move, many remain sceptical.

Cllr Simon Miller, cabinet member for economic growth, believes Mrs May’s promises do not go far enough and that the government needs to loosen its grip on local authorities.

He said: “The Government has finally recognised that councils have a key role to play in delivering affordable homes and have lifted the unnecessary and punitive restrictions that have stopped us from building as many homes as we would like.

“Although welcome, lifting the cap is not sufficient in itself to increase the supply of new homes. Greater flexibility over rents and more government grant funding for new affordable homes is also key.”

Cllr Miller’s council is currently bidding for £31million worth of funding from the Mayor of London’s Council Homes for Londoners scheme to try and overcome funding hurdles to new development.

The authority aims to build more than 450 new homes in the next four years, “the majority of which will be affordable.”