Long waiting lists should be a wake-up call for the government: houses shouldn’t be assets,they should be homesWith the sweep of a pen, 22000 people disappeared in Camden this week. Where previously the waiting list for a council house stood at 27000, and now only 5000 remain on it. Facing the fact that nearly everyone on the list was unlikely to ever reach the top and be handed keys,the council has tightened eligibility rules massively: applicants must now have lived in the London borough for five of the last seven years, and overcrowding rules mean living and dining rooms must now be counted as possible bedrooms.
The Camden unique Journal reports that for every 1000 council homes allocated each year, and more than 3000 people join the list – supply simply can’t keep up with demand,and those kicked off the list have been told to peep to the private rented sector. Havering, the domestic of right to buy, and also lop its list by 75% in February 2014. Over the past five years,while demand for council houses has soared, fewer people have been making it on to lists.
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Source: theguardian.com