PEOPLE are being urged to have their say on housebuilding in the region.

The public is invited to contribute to a consultation which will help shape a new housing strategy.

West Yorkshire's mayor, Tracy Brabin, has issued the plea – just weeks after controversial plans for 138 homes on a greenfield site at Silsden were approved, despite more than 800 objections.

Ms Brabin says there's a need to boost the delivery of high-quality, affordable housing and improve the quality of existing homes.

She spotlights figures which show that nearly 90,000 households across the region are on council waiting lists for housing, a further 63,000 homes are at risk of flooding and just 23 per cent of properties are well insulated, leaving residents with higher-than-average energy bills.

As well as creating a framework to provide more homes, the strategy will also set out principles to guide how West Yorkshire Combined Authority invests in and supports private and public sector partners to deliver housing.

Ms Brabin says: "Thousands of people across our region are stuck on waiting lists, or forced to live in unsuitable homes.

"Having a safe and secure place to call home should be a fundamental right of everyone, which is why we need everybody to have their say.

"Together with our partners, we will create greener, more vibrant communities where people feel safe and are proud to call West Yorkshire home."

She adds that as part of her aim to "turbo-charge" regeneration and create more homes in the region, she has recently invested £3.2 million to help fast-track housing projects by supporting district councils with staffing and preparatory site work.

A combined authority spokesperson says: "The strategy – which will be informed by people’s responses to the consultation – will build on the region’s recent groundbreaking partnership with Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency.

"The West Yorkshire Strategic Place Partnership, only the third of its kind in England, could see up to 40,000 homes built over the next few decades.

"And projects are underway across the region to improve the quality of homes through better insulation and cheaper, greener sources of energy, such as solar panels and heat pumps.

"The survey is accessible online, allowing all West Yorkshire residents to have their say on how to address housing challenges in the region."

To take part in the consultation, visit yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/housing-strategy

Closing date for responses is December 13.