You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Areas with rising waiting lists see falls in social housing
Councils with the fastest rising housing waiting lists are areas which saw above average decreases in the amount of social housing coming available, exclusive Inside Housing analysis shows.
Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) this month showed the number of people on waiting lists across England in 2016 fell from 1.24 million to 1.18 million, but some areas showed substantial rises (see map).
Inside Housing’s analysis of the figures showed that excluding councils with lower than the national average of social lettings – because these provide less representative figures – growing council housing waiting lists are matched with disproportionate decreases in social lettings.
Twelve of the councils with the top 20 fastest growing housing waiting lists lost a higher percentage of social lettings than the national average over the past three years, the analysis shows.
| Name | Waiting list change between 2013 and 2016 (%) | Social housing lettings change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Wirral | 106 | 20 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 101 | -5 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 83 | 49 |
| Walsall | 72 | -4 |
| Thurrock | 68 | 99 |
| Bolton | 36 | 21 |
| Northampton | 35 | -13 |
| Hartlepool | 31 | 55 |
| Middlesbrough | 31 | 18 |
| Oldham | 25 | -40 |
| Lambeth | 25 | -34 |
| Ealing | 24 | -29 |
| Rochdale | 19 | 48 |
| Wakefield | 18 | -16 |
| Plymouth | 17 | -22 |
| Coventry | 16 | 6 |
| Lewisham | 16 | -36 |
| Leicester | 13 | -7 |
| Derby | 12 | -16 |
| Islington | 8 | -33 |
For example, Islington’s waiting list has grown by 8% to 20,733 in 2016, with homes let for social rent falling by a third since 2012/13, compared with the national average of -0.1%. Falling social housing lettings indicates fewer properties coming to the market and being made available to those on waiting lists.
The government has previously hailed falling waiting lists as evidence of the success of policies such as the bedroom tax.
However, many councils have reduced waiting lists in recent years through Localism Act 2011 powers to strike applicants off. An Inside Housing investigation in 2014 showed more than 100,000 had been struck off.
An Islington Council spokesperson said: “Like London, Islington is facing a housing crisis, with a desperate shortage of affordable homes. That’s why we’ve committed… to building 500 homes for social rent by 2019. Our new budget allocates £40m for new council housing in the borough.”
Martin Tett, housing spokesperson at the Local Government Association, said: “If we are to stand any chance of solving our housing crisis, the government’s forthcoming Housing White Paper must recognise that a renaissance in council housebuilding is essential.”
A DCLG spokesperson said: “Council housing waiting lists have dropped by more than a third across England since 2012. With council housing starts now at the highest level for more than 20 years and local authorities having nearly £6bn of housing reserves and borrowing headroom, they’re well placed to build the homes their communities need.”
