COUNCILLORS have said there would be no knee-jerk reaction to figures showing that an authority is failing to meet its targets on affordable housing.

Hambleton District Council is not meeting its target as none of the homes granted planning permission from April to June this year were deemed affordable.

The figure was revealed by the council's environment and economy overview and scrutiny committee, which is looking into the provision of housing in the area.

The failure to meet targets has been blamed on the size of new developments.

None have been big enough to come under the council's policy, which states that large developments must have a proportion of affordable houses.

The affordable housing issue was identified as a problem in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment report published by the Audit Commission in May.

Overall, the council was rated as excellent, but one of the areas identified for improvement was affordable housing.

New figures also show the number of people waiting for housing association homes has risen dramatically. The waiting list at Broadacres, based in Northallerton, has grown from 1,500 to 1,800 in 12 months.

Councillors say they are dealing with the problem step by step, and have emphasised that there are a number of affordable housing projects in the pipeline, including developments in Valley Road and Boroughbridge Road, in Nor-thallerton and in Stokesley.

Cabinet spokesman on housing Councillor David Blades said: "We are well aware of the problem and we are addressing it.

"We want to get it right. We are not going for a knee-jerk reaction and we want to take it step by step. We have such a wide district area - that is why we have asked for a housing needs survey so we can find out where the homes are needed."

In Ryedale, the housing association has provided 19 homes for rent in Pickering, Malton and Norton for people aged between 16 to 29.

The association has bought the homes and refurbished them with improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms, double glazing and central heating systems.

Ryedale Housing Association director Brian Clarke said: "This project is playing a vital part in encouraging young people to live and work in their local community."