West Devon is one of six areas in England where social housing is 'unaffordable', a new study suggests.

Housing justice charity Shelter said the Government has prioritised investment in affordable homes and called for sustained investment in cheaper social housing instead.

It comes after the Government announced a £500 million investment into the existing Affordable Homes Programme in the Autumn Budget, aimed at delivering up to 5,000 social and affordable homes.

But new research by Shelter deems both affordable and cheaper social homes in West Devon 'unaffordable'.

The analysis of Office for National Statistics data shows the median weekly social rent for a one-bed property in West Devon is £89.

Meanwhile, the 25th percentile of weekly gross pay in the area is £275.

It means a person in West Devon living in social housing and earning this wage will spend around 32% of their income on rent.

The ONS deems an area 'affordable' if a private-renting household spends 30% or less of their gross pay on rent.

Income from benefits was not included in Shelter's research as it is difficult to estimate.

The research found 98% of areas across England have 'affordable' social housing.

Such housing is most unaffordable in Chichester in West Sussex at £106 a week – which represents 33% of pay for the lowest quarter of local earners.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "For decades now we’ve been haemorrhaging social homes and instead of replacing them, money is instead being funnelled into so called 'affordable homes', which too often just aren’t affordable to people on low incomes."

Ms Neate added social housing represents "the only genuinely affordable housing" and is "the only long-term solution to our housing emergency" because rents are calculated with local incomes and are lower than private rents.

She called on the Government to include sustained investment in building new social homes in its upcoming Spring Spending Review.

Shelter's research shows affordable housing is actually affordable for people on low pay in 58% of areas across England.

But in West Devon, those earning the 25th percentile wage will spend around 37% of their gross income on a one-bed affordable rental property.

Sean Palmer, executive director at homeless charity St Mungo's, said: "We all know there is a housing crisis – it has a real impact on our clients, pushing people into homelessness and extending the period people continue to suffer."

Mr Palmer added the Government's target of building 90,000 social homes per year "is fundamental to resolving the housing and the homelessness crisis".

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "We will deliver 1.5 million homes as part of our Plan for Change including the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.

"We have asked Homes England to maximise the number of social rent homes delivered, and future new investment will also prioritise this."