An opposition councillor has said that the council needs to "work harder" to address the huge number of people on its housing waiting list.

Maldon District Council has outlined its latest budget this week, announcing an increase to council tax, but concerns were raised about homelessness and the housing waiting lists, which an opposition councillor called a 'disappointment'.

Currently, more than 60 people are in emergency accommodation in the district. 

Adrian Fluker, Independent councillor for Southminster, told the meeting: "Can I record my disappointment that nobody's spoken to try to address the enormity of the number of people that are on the housing waiting list for this district?

"I can see people agreeing with me; we do have a disproportionate amount in relation to the number of households and the people who are in emergency accommodation tonight. I always think of this when we have a council meeting. There's over 60 people in emergency accommodation tonight and I really do think we should work harder in the following 12 months to see what we can do with this. I know affordable housing a very important part of that." 

Richard Siddall, The Maldon District Independent Group leader of the council, said: "Together, we have developed a financial strategy that supports the council's strategic priorities as outlined in the revised corporate plan. The financial outlook for the council is generally positive, largely due to the recently approved leisure contract, which will provide significant commercial income over the long term.

"Additionally, over the last year, we've implemented improvements to the council, demonstrating our commitment to efficiencies, savings and technological advancements, which have further strengthened our financial position.

"I know we really appreciate officers' work and the members of the working groups for the diligence, commitment and constructive challenges ensuring a proposed budget is robust, sustainable and reflects the needs of our community. With the revised corporate plan we now have the opportunity to set the service delivery plans to the budget this will enable us to deliver on a council that works for its residents, businesses and visitors."