Sutton Council is delivering only 28 per cent of affordable homes that are needed, according to a new report by housing charity Shelter.

The Housing League Table, launched last week, shows Sutton is failing to deliver enough affordable homes and is ranked 93 out of 323 local authorities.

Councils are responsible for identifying the housing need in their area and for ensuring enough affordable homes are provided to meet this need.

However, Shelter’s research has found that 216 councils, including Sutton, are delivering less than half the number of homes they have identified are needed.

The findings are one part of Shelter’s Housing League Table, a new website that provides housing data including house prices, housing waiting lists and levels of housing delivery.

Campbell Robb, Shelter’s chief executive, said: “These figures are extremely worrying. With nearly 4,200 households on the housing waiting list in Sutton, the council must work far harder to ensure more desperately needed affordable homes are provided if it ever hopes to meet the housing needs of the local population.

“Independent experts commissioned by the council say 1,143 new affordable homes need to be built each year in Sutton, but an average of only 323 have been delivered in the last year, leaving a shortfall of 820 homes per year.”

“The recession has created a difficult climate for house building, but these figures clearly show that Sutton council is struggling to provide enough affordable homes for those who need them."

Councillor Colin Stears, adult social services and housing spokesman, said: “Our ability to deliver affordable homes is almost entirely down to central government funding, so it is disappointing that an organisation which presents itself as a serious advocate for better housing is laying the blame for the shortage of affordable housing at councils’ doors.

“The impact of the global recession has also reduced the number of private developers building houses, which has reduced our opportunities to negotiate affordable homes being built as part of these developments.”

For more information about these statistics visit shelter.org.uk/housingleaguetabledata