MONMOUTHSHIRE council has agreed to go out to public consultation on how to provide more affordable houses across the county - as it emerged hundreds of people are waiting for one.

Last week, councillors backed a plan to introduce different proportions of social housing around the county. As much as 60 per cent of new housing in rural housing developments will need to be affordable.

But figures released by Monmouthshire council show there are as many as 700 householders on a waiting list for affordable housing in Chepstow, and 2,673 across the county.

And the cabinet member responsible for the plan, Cllr Giles Howard, said the plan underlined the distribution in which the council will place housing around the county.

He said: “I am pleased to see the council underlines the importance of pepper-potting affordable housing in small clusters around developments to avoid stigmatisation and ghettoisation.”

In a council report seen by councillors, it was noted last year that the average house price in Monmouthshire - at £269,700 - was well above the Welsh national average of £170,900.

But Cllr Armand Watts said he felt the council were not taking adequate steps - and blamed the authority's supposed bowing to NIMBYism from residents. He said the council should be “more proactive” but said the council were not sufficiently “brave enough” to do so.

The council’s deputy leader Phil Hobson refuted his claims.

Cllr Hobson said: “We have fought like hell against this NIMBYism and damn right lies about affordable housing .I get a bit upset when I hear: we won’t do it because it’s ‘politically difficult’.”