11 April 2008
There is no evidence to support the claim that recent migrants to Britain have an unfair advantage in the allocation of social housing, according to a study published on April 9.
The interim findings of the study, commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Local Government Association, show 90% of the people living in social housing are UK-born. Migrants who have come to the UK in the past five years (3.1% of the population) make up less than 2% of the total living in social housing.
The interim report shows that 78% of new immigrants live in the private rented sector or are owner-occupiers, with 11% allocated social housing. Trevor Phillips, chair of the EHRC, said: 'What's clear is that there is a gap between supply and demand of social housing of which the presence of immigrants is a relatively small but often highly visible element.'
LGA chair Sir Simon Milton said: 'These findings demonstrate that councils are delivering a fair system for allocating social housing that is based on the needs of each individual who requires help.'
PFapr2008
