98% of local authorities in England are failing to deliver enough affordable homes to meet need, a new website launched by Shelter has found.

Shelter's Housing League Table, found that only 8 of 323 councils in England are providing enough or more affordable homes than are needed, meaning a 98% local authority failure rate.

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

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However, Shelter league tables also show that in the last year a total of 90% of councils (292) provided fewer than half the homes they say are needed.

Shelter Chief Executive Campbell Robb said: "We know that the recession has created a difficult climate for house building, but these figures clearly show that councils must work far harder to ensure more desperately needed affordable homes are provided if they ever hope to meet the housing needs of their local population.

"With 1.8 million households on housing waiting lists and more than one million children living in overcrowded homes it is unacceptable that only 8 councils have provided enough affordable homes to meet local need."

The website also ranks councils according to their current levels of affordable housing delivery against their analysis of housing need.

(CD/GK)