The phrase "be in need of" is a perfectly acceptable phrase to use in written English. You can use it when you want to express a need or lack of something. For example, "The village was in need of fresh water."
Other departments were also found to be "in need of improvement".
Is this still be in need of legislation?
The Yanks may be in need of some emotional uplifting.
KIA Some 2010 Souls may be in need of saving.
Even the superhero genre -- the books that generally power sales -- may be in need of rescue.
Yankee fans recuperating from the World Series calamity might be in need of comfort food.
But there are older, more sensible books available, too, should you be in need of inspiration.
At the time the library was widely felt to be in need of improvement.
Mair himself claimed to be in need of treatment for mental health problems.
If not, your porky pussy may be in need of a new feeding plan.
This is a problem for backlist titles, where readers might be in need of a chaperone.
I love the desktop app, it’s always running on my Mac. Ludwig is the best English buddy, it answers my 100 queries per day and stays cool.
Cristina Valenza
Retail Lead Linguist @ Apple Inc.