Local government leaders have called for a 'renaissance in house building' to meet the growing need for affordable high-quality homes.
But they say the problem cannot be fixed by formulas dreamt up in Whitehall and councils must be given the powers to make sure homes are built.
The comments follow the announcement by communities secretary Sajid Javid of a new way of assessing housing need which showed 266,000 new homes should be built every year.
Responding to the announcement the Local Government Association's housing spokesman Cllr Martin Tett said there could be benefits to a standard approach to assessing the need for new homes.
But he warned that 'a formula drawn up in Whitehall can never fully understand the complexity and unique needs of local housing markets, which vary significantly from place to place.'
Cllr Tett added: 'Ultimately we need a renaissance in council house building if we’re to deliver the affordable homes this country needs – national ambitions will not be realised without new freedoms and powers for councils.'
Cllr John Fuller, chairman of the District Councils’ Network (DCN), said: 'We fully support the Government’s housebuilding ambitions and we will continue to play a central role in helping to deliver them.
'We have concerns that a national formula may never take into account all local constraints but, whilst contentious, this may provide greater certainty in plan making and speed up the process in some cases, an outcome which would be welcomed.'
