MORE than 30 people from a wide range of organisations have attended a seminar and a series of workshops to help West Somerset District Council update its three-year housing strategy.

Representatives from housing associations, social services, police, Somerset NHS Partnership and the West Somerset Advice Bureau joined local councillors at the Northfield Hotel, in Minehead, to discuss the on-going plan.

The aim was to identify housing needs in West Somerset and to set out ways in which the authority could meet them.

Principal housing officer Mukhtar Ali said: "Much of what we as a council can do has to be carried out through our partner organisations because we do not own any housing.

"We keep a housing waiting register, handle cases of homelessness, and nominate people for re-housing as and when vacancies arise.

"One of the key elements is to identify people who are on low-to-average income and cannot afford to buy because of increasingly high prices."

He added: "These are often people who would not apply to the council to go on the waiting list to access housing association property.

"A number of these people, who include young families, are moving away from the district to find cheaper housing and/or jobs.

"We cannot afford to keep losing young people from the economy here, as it leaves us with an increasingly elderly population with their associated social needs."

Mr Ali said the number of homeless people accommodated by the council in bed and breakfast units was being reduced by leasing property from private landlords and registered social landlords.

However, still more properties were needed as cases of homelessness in the district continued to increase.

He also warned that the Government's forthcoming Homelessness Act was likely to see another increase in the number of people deemed to be homeless due to an expected extension of the so-called 'priority needs' categories.

The updated strategy is due to be discussed by the district council's cabinet on August 5.