About 1,000 people in Plymouth are on waiting lists for houses or flats to rent.

In an answer to South West Devon MP Gary Streeter, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) suggested only four new social houses to rent had been built in Plymouth during the financial year of 2002 to 2003.

Plymouth City Council said the figures were wrong and that the total was more than 160, and that nearly 400 houses would be built over the next year as part of regeneration plans.

We hope to find out where the figures came from Patrick Nicholson, Plymouth City Council

Brian Moore from the Plymouth branch of homeless charity Shelter said the lack of housing stock was because of the Conservative Government's "Right to Buy" programme.

He said: "That chopped stock from 30,000 to about 17,000. The idea was that the housing associations would come in and replace the stock that was lost.

"The associations are doing their bit and the council is working reasonably hard, but the stock is not there for people to move into. Therefore you have a longer waiting list."

The figures from the ODPM also said from the financial year of 2001 to 2002, only 24 homes were built and from 2000 to 2001 it was 38.

The city council said the totals were actually 166 for 2002 to 2003, 179 for 2001 to 2002, and 163 from 2000 to 2001.

Councillor Patrick Nicholson, Conservative leader of the council during those years, said: "We hope to find out where the figures came from. But we did build more than the government is saying and we can see it around the city."

MP Gary Streeter said: "The issue is partly about supply and demand.

"We simply don't have enough low-cost social houses for people. We've got to build more houses and flats in Plymouth."

Current Plymouth City Council leader, Labour's Tudor Evans, said regenerations projects in the city would produce 380 houses over the next year.

He said: "It will not solve the problem at a stroke, but it will certainly start to ease things."