City of Lincoln Council to build 150 new homes
A £15m plan for 150 council homes in Lincoln has been announced - the authority's first significant house-building programme in 20 years.
The city council said the homes would be built over the next six years.
It said the scheme would initially focus on building the right type of homes, including single occupancy and housing suitable for older people.
Ric Metcalfe, head of the Labour-led authority, said they would help address the shortage of affordable homes.
He said the current situation for many people was "pretty desperate".
'No flash in pan'
"We are trying to address the acute housing need in the city and we have 3,000 people on our waiting list and lots of other people looking for affordable rental accommodation," he said.
He added the scheme would be mostly funded from existing council housing income, which stands at about £30m a year, from about 8,000 tenants.
Mr Metcalfe said the council would continue to use its rental income to keep building more homes in the future.
He gave assurances the 150 homes were not just "a flash in the pan".
The authority said it was also using its planning powers to encourage the private sector to build more homes.
Other than five council homes built in 2012, the new houses will be the first to be built by the authority since the early 1990s.