An affordable housing task force to combat the housing crisis in East Devon is to be created following a decision by the cabinet at East Devon District Council (EDDC) this week.

The task force will be a team of newly hired staff with the aim of increasing affordable housing in the district.

According to a report by Devon Home Choice, more than 2,650 households are in housing need in East Devon, the third-highest in the county.

The affordable housing task force is expected to cost around half a million pounds and to run for at least two years, paid for from a budget underspend in the 2021/22 financial year, which ends next March.

A report by officers into a potential task force said: “The need for more affordable housing is highly evident, with demand outstripping supply and has resulted in an increase in the housing register and homelessness.”

Councillor Steve Gazzard (Liberal Democrat, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh) told the cabinet: “It is imperative that we do something…There is a crisis in housing.

“There’s not a day goes by that, as a councillor, I don’t have people contacting me saying ‘I’m at my wit’s end. I’m pulling my hair out. I see somewhere advertised and by the time the morning comes and I pick the phone up it’s gone.’ That’s happening every day.”

The report says that the council should continue to look at multiple ways of delivering affordable housing, including working with housing associations, supporting community land trusts and seeking opportunities to build new homes through the planning process, whilst in the short-term searching for “quick wins” by buying homes that are currently available.

The council says it provides 200 to 300 new affordable homes per year, mainly through the purchase of existing properties, but this isn’t enough. One officer described it as “no small feat, but insufficient to keep pace with current demand.”

Councillor Eileen Wragg (Liberal Democrats, Exmouth Town) agreed: “I believe we are facing an extremely harsh winter”, saying rising fuel costs and the end of the £20 Universal Credit uplift this week will heap pressure on people already struggling to get by.”