A politician cannot commit to building homes with rents that match average incomes.

Cllr Simon Miller, Waltham Forest Council’s cabinet member for high streets, did, however, say he can deliver 50 per cent of affordable homes at the Lea Bridge and The Scores sites in Leyton.

He made the comments at a meeting with campaigners Waltham Forest Citizens (WFC) on Sunday.

But the group also asked Cllr Miller to commit to delivering Community Land Trust (CLT) homes, a type of social housing tied to average incomes, at the Lea Bridge site.

He could only promise that CLTs would be “actively considered” by the council and developers, not that they would definitely be built there.

He said: “We want to see CLTs in the borough, that is why we are making their active consideration for all sites a requirement, but we cannot do that on the basis of discrimination of other forms of affordable housing.

“We have to decide whether Lea Bridge is the right site for CLTs, that is all down to land value and value for money for residents.”

The cabinet member explained that CLTs are a particularly hard form of social housing to deliver, but that the council will definitely have them on sites in the future.

He added: “We have to make sure it is cost effective and we are currently reviewing all sites in the borough to determine whether they are appropriate for CLTs.

“We are certain there will be CLTs in the borough and they are more likely to be in the north of the borough than in the south, but that is simply a reflection of land value and cost effectiveness.

“That doesn’t mean that there necessarily will not be any CLT sites in the south of the borough.

“The council is absolutely committed to working with Waltham Forest Citizens to bring more affordable housing options to the borough and for our residents in the future.”

WFC has been campaigning for the council to build CLTs across the borough for the past year.

Jess Hall, co-chairman of the WFC Housing Team, said: “Affordable housing that is permanently linked to average local incomes is the only way that an average earner like me could buy a home and put down real roots in the borough.

“I am encouraged that London Borough of Waltham Forest are starting to include CLTs as considerations in their briefs for developers. I hope that this approach to affordable homes can be realised.”

Across the borough, the average rent is £2,016 per month, or £504 per week.

The average annual income in the borough is around £30,900, which means a monthly income after tax of £1,932. The average two people then pay a monthly rent which equates to 52 per cent of their income.