ONLY 110 “affordable” new homes have been built in Brentwood since 2010, latest figures have revealed.

The number is in stark contrast to other parts of Essex, with towns like Colchester having 750 built and Braintree 400.

In total, more than 20,000 have been built across the east of England in that time, and 200,000 across the UK.

In a recent interview with the Weekly News, Councillor Barry Aspinall, the new leader of Brentwood Council, said the new rainbow coalition planned to build the first new council homes in the borough in almost 50 years.

He added that the current waiting list for a council home in the borough was getting close to 4,000.

Lib Dem Councillor Ross Carter, now chairman of the housing committee, said the previous Tory administration had let the borough down by leaving it languishing near the bottom on the list.

He said: “Affordable housing is important because it gives our Brentwood families the opportunity to stay close together in the Borough that is their home.

“Our town has attracted significant outward investment during recent years but we need to show we are doing all we can to ensure that anyone living in Brentwood, young or old, can stay in Brentwood.”

However housing minister Kris Hopkins said the figures nationwide were a success story.

He said: “It means families from across the country, including in the East of England, have new homes available to them, whether to rent at an affordable rate or to buy through our shared ownership schemes.”