A HUGE expansion in housebuilding across the North West is being called for by homelessness charity Shelter.

It says social housing construction has plummeted since the start of the decade, with tens of thousands of people waiting for a home.

New analysis by Shelter suggests 519 social homes were delivered in the North West in 2017 to 18, compared to 2,963 in 2009 to 10 - a "dramatic fall" of 82 per cent.

Meanwhile, the charity's social housing commission has launched a report calling for 3.1 million new homes across the country.

After the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy of June 2017, Shelter brought together 16 independent commissioners with diverse backgrounds to examine what it calls "the housing crisis in England".

They include Ed Miliband MP, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, TV architect George Clarke and Grenfell survivor Ed Daffarn.

Having spent a year listening to the views of hundreds of social tenants, 31,000 members of the public and a range of housing experts, the commissioners have put forward their "vision" for social housing.

The report recommends the government invests in a 20-year housebuilding programme, including 1.27 million homes for homeless people and those with disabilities; 1.17 million houses for "trapped renters", those younger families who cannot afford to buy and face a lifetime of renting; and 690,000 homes for private renters over 55 struggling with high housing costs.

The charity says half of young people "have no chance of ever buying a home" and almost 280,000 people in England are homeless. Meanwhile, private renters on lower incomes spend an average of 67 per cent of their earnings on rent.

Commissioner Ed Miliband MP said: “The time for the government to act is now. We have never felt so divided as a nation, but building social homes is priority for people right across our country. This is a moment for political boldness on social housing investment that we have not seen for a generation. It is the way to restore hope, build strong communities, and fix the broken housing market so we meet both the needs and the aspirations of millions of people.”