MORE than 7,000 households in Redditch are to be surveyed this month as part of Redditch Council's consultation exercise on the needs of the borough.

The 2005 Housing Needs Assessment will be asking owner occupiers, tenants of the council and housing associations and those who rent privately for views on both the amount and type of housing needed to rent or buy in the town.

The postal questionnaire will be sent out to 7,500 households selected at random.

Council housing policy manager Matthew Bough said: "We are urging people to complete the form and return it to DCA, whether they have a housing need or not.

"The answers given will provide valuable information which will influence our housing priorities over the next five years and assist us in securing funding for them."