THERE is "immense pressure" on housing in Wyre Forest, with more than 2,600 people on the district council's waiting list, a report has revealed.

The problem is being compounded by tenants' right to buy depleting the amount of affordable housing available faster than replacement homes are being built, according to a review of the council's homelessness strategy.

The review was presented to members of the council's housing, health and rural affairs policy and scrutiny panel.

Council officers have been working with members of Wyre Forest Homelessness Forum to develop an action plan, with input from the Housing Quality Network.

The main thrust of the strategy is to prevent homelessness with advice and support but using temporary accommodation and legislation as back-ups.

High levels of homelessness have been a long-term problem in the district, which council and Wyre Forest Community Housing chiefs were compelled to explain to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - ODPM - in 2002.

That led to development of the five-year homelessness strategy the following year. Since then, acceptances of people being classified as homeless have fallen, from 394 in 2001-02 to 240 in 2004-05, with the downward trend continuing.

Initiatives that have been used to address the problem include the Wyre Forest Nightstop and Mediation Scheme, which has dealt with 51 referrals of potentially homeless young people since last March.

Rent deposit schemes have enabled 21 people, so far this year, to move into private rented housing.

Support and outreach work by Wyre Forest Community Hous-ing and Stonham Housing Association have helped people take up tenancies and cut the chances of those failing. During the first nine months of this financial year, 38 cases have been dealt with.

Savings of £42,000 so far this year have been made on bed and breakfast costs through a grant scheme promoted by the ODPM, which has also set homelessness targets for local housing authorities.

Wyre Forest is currently meeting its obligation not to place families in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks and reduce the level of temporary accommodation by 50 per cent between 2005 and 2010.