Two Shropshire MPs have held talks with the Government’s housing minister to discuss home shortages in the county.

Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski and Ludlow MP Philip Dunne met with housing minister Grant Shapps this week along with a delegation of Shropshire housing officials. The meeting was held after a report published this week by the Home Builders’ Federation.

It revealed house building in Shropshire has plummeted by 64 per cent in the past six years.

Figures show that 990 houses were built in the county in 2005/6 but that fell to just 360 in 2010/11 and the county is missing out on an estimated 1,200 jobs. Meanwhile, official government projections say the number of households in the county is expected to grow by 1,160 each year.

In a double blow, average house prices in Shropshire have more than doubled in the last 10 years, from £76,000 in 2000 to £172,500 in 2010 – almost 7.5 times the average income.

And the average first time buyer in the county is spending £130,000 on their home – meaning they need a deposit of about £26,000.

Meanwhile, pressure on the area’s social housing is growing with the number of families on the waiting list rising from 4,213 in 2000 to 8,047 families last year.

Mr Kawczynski said he had been inundated with cases from constituents who were struggling to find suitable housing.

He said: “I was delighted to have secured a meeting with the housing minister for the delegation. My staff and I are inundated with cases from constituents struggling to find adequate housing, so I was delighted the minister was able to hear of the excellent work we are doing in Shropshire to provide housing responsive to our local needs.”

Mr Dunne said: “This was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the innovative progress being made in Shropshire giving local people a genuine say in what is developed where.

“Shropshire is leading the way in developing local neighbourhood plans and using the community land trust model to deliver affordable housing.”