A MILLION genuinely affordable houses are needed over the next decade because nearly half of low-income workers are having to cut back on basics to pay rent, housing charity Shelter warned yesterday.

Some 44 per cent of low-paid working families are reining in their spending on food, clothes and toys to pay extortionate rents.

Shelter urged the building of 500,000 “fair-rent” homes — with rents tied to local incomes — on top of 500,000 council houses over the next 10 years to help those struggling in private rented housing.