There will be no strategy to provide affordable housing for key workers in Colchester for the near future.

Members of Colchester Council's housing, community safety and health policy panel heard how research had been carried out into the matter.

Council officer Phil Adams said it had revealed there was no real need to provide affordable housing for such workers, which include teachers, healthworkers, police and firefighters.

He told members despite a major teacher shortage in the county it was not felt the problem was particularly bad in Colchester.

"We have spoken to the services involved and those of them, including fire and police, say any recruitment problems they may have are not because of housing difficulties," he said.

"Our exploratory work has revealed there is no real need for any key worker policy at the moment and that is how we propose it is left until further evidence come to light.

"While there is a teachers shortage the education authority has informed us it is worse in other parts of the county and housiing does not appear to be one of the reasons keeping teachers or other key workers out of the area," added Mr Adams.

Published Thursday December 27, 2001