Council waiting list has risen by half since 1997

17 Nov 05
More than 1.5 million people are waiting to move into a council house in England 52% more than when Labour came to power in 1997, new figures reveal.

18 November 2005

More than 1.5 million people are waiting to move into a council house in England — 52% more than when Labour came to power in 1997, new figures reveal.

The analysis of council house waiting lists by the Liberal Democrats shows 1,548,083 people waiting for a home compared with 1,019,475 eight years ago.

The largest rise has come among the local authorities in the Southeast, where waiting lists have risen by 77%, followed by London (71%) and the Northwest (61%), according to parliamentary answers given to Brent East MP Sarah Teather.

Teather, who shadows the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Liberal Democrats, said the figures showed high house prices had placed home ownership out of the reach of many families.

'More and more are turning to councils for help finding a home but every year there are fewer and fewer affordable homes for the people who need them,' she said.

King's Lynn saw a seven-fold increase in numbers waiting for a council home while, in both Brighton & Hove and New Forest, waiting lists are five times higher than in 1997. Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire watched its list soar from 38 to 959 — equivalent to an increase of more than 2,500%.

In 2003/4, the latest year for which figures are available, a total of 92,146 homes were sold under the right to buy while just 18,577 new homes were built — mainly by housing associations.

Even though rough sleeping has fallen under Labour, along with the number of families in bed and breakfast accommodation, homelessness has doubled to more than 100,000.

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