COUNCILLORS have voted to approve a new Joint Housing Strategy for West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland.

The plan, which runs to 2031, identifies where new homes and employment sites can be built, how the environment can be protected and ways for boosting the economy. The strategy sets out how both West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council deal with a range of housing issues.

These include preventing and dealing with homelessness, building affordable homes, improving standards in the private rented sector, promoting energy efficiency in homes, and supporting vulnerable people with housing issues. The strategy was referred from the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council management committee and discussed at a full council meeting.

The recommendation was introduced by Coun Ray Nowak, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s housing spokesman, who commended the strategy.

Speaking at a previous meeting, he said: “We’ve seen major changes to the housing sector over recent years, from changes to social housing policy and major reviews of the planning system.

“The housing review will therefore help us to come up with new and innovative approaches to deal with these issues and to address the growing levels and ranges of housing need in the area.”