A REGIONAL housing chief has called for any spare cash to be funnelled into affordable housing.

Salford mayor, Paul Dennett, Greater Manchester’s housing lead, wants any extra funds from the region's Investment Fund to be used to plug a gap of 13,203 homes which has developed since 2012.

He will go before at the year's final Combined Authority meeting on December 14 in Bolton, to explain his plans.

Mr Dennett said: said authorities "need to take action now".

He added: “Greater Manchester has 13,203 fewer social rented homes than in 2012/13, 14,933 homes now let at up to 80 per cent of market rent and we’ve lost 92,612 homes to Right to Buy since 1980. Each one of these issues has contributed towards over 85,639 households now being on Greater Manchester’s housing registers.

"It is right that we now take the surplus funds that are coming back to us from successful loans made by the Greater Manchester Housing Investment Fund and put them towards helping those who are in desperate need of a decent, affordable home."