In May, the council announced plans to build and own 580 new council homes in Somerset over the next six years.
It described them as its “most ambitious council house building programme for many years”.
But it also wants developers and housing associations to build more social housing in the county’s smaller towns and villages.
The council said more than 100 affordable homes were completed in the county’s rural communities last year, and another 25 developments are in progress, which should deliver a further 450 homes.
Over the past year, permission has also been granted for 1,600 affordable homes on 43 rural sites, while 54 housing applications, which include the provision of an additional 1,700 affordable homes, are being considered.
Councillor Sarah Wakefield, lead member for adult services, housing and homelessness, said affordable housing “helps local people stay close to their families, jobs, schools and support networks, while also supporting local services and businesses”.
“We know how challenging it can be for people to find a home they can afford in rural Somerset, and twenty per cent of households registered on Homefinder reside in our rural parishes,” she said.
“That is why we are working closely with our housing partners, developers, parish councils and communities to support the delivery of affordable homes that meet local needs.”
Kayleigh Batt and her 18-year-old son Jake moved into their brand new home last month, on a new development in Martock.
The whole process, from planning the homes to the residents moving in, took nine years. The development has 24 affordable-rent homes with a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes.
Batt said: “The location’s lovely. I’ve never lived in a new build.”
She said they were now on a bus route, so Jake could take the bus to college, and she was better-connected for her work as a carer in the community.
“I didn’t really choose Martock – it chose me. I needed to downsize, and we needed to be somewhere where there was more to do, because where we were before was really rural,” she said.
“There’s more shops here, there’s loads more to do, they’ve got a doctor’s surgery, opticians, butchers, everything for me, now.”