Waiting list for social housing in Stroud district continues to rise

Currently there are around 2,440 households on the HomeseekerPlus waiting list for Stroud District Council-owned (SDC) properties.

This figure has jumped up by around 140 since the summer months in 2016 – an increase of six per cent.

In the last year the authority has been able to set up a total of 440 new tenancies across the Five Valleys.

This works out as an average of 37 households per month having their application accepted.

However despite the Labour-led council’s sustained efforts to create more social housing, it has only made a dent in the overall waiting list.

In the last year only around two per cent of applicants on the register were successfully rehomed – leaving many unsuccessful applicants frustrated.

And with new applications coming in almost every day, the council is still seeing far more people apply than are being given new houses.

Along with other local authorities across the country, SDC is facing an uphill challenge to provide enough social housing.

Cllr Mattie Ross, chair of the council’s housing committee, acknowledged the issue and stressed a huge amount of time, money and effort were being channelled into providing new homes.

“We are aware of the huge national issue of the lack of decent, affordable housing and we are investing £19.5 million to deliver over 200 new homes by March 2018 which will go some way to help reduce the local waiting list,” she said.

“We have already finished schemes in Minchinhampton, Leonard Stanley, Littlecombe, Stroud, Berkeley and The Corriett in Cam, and we will be completing schemes Chapel Street in Cam and Far Green this year.”

Cllr Ross (Labour/Stonehouse) continued: “We are proud that SDC is the only local authority in Gloucestershire which still owns and manages council houses, with the others having transferred them into other social housing organisations.”

This continued surge in demand comes against a background of rising private sector rents.

Cllr Debbie Young, Conservative spokeswoman for housing on SDC, said the Tories were committed to house building – and that those in the most need should get priority.

“I started the new house building programme when I was cabinet member for Housing and am therefore, as are the conservative group, committed to a council house building programme,” she said.

“The key to the waiting lists is not the overall length of this list but the numbers of those on Gold and Emergency banding as these are the people in most need of housing and it is these figures we need to see and discuss the causes of.”

The majority of people given tenancies by SDC in 2016 were in the Gold band, with the second largest per cent age of people in the Silver band.

Other initiatives by the council to reduce the housing waiting list include offering interest-free loans of up to £15,000 to help bring empty homes back into use as affordable rented housing.

Simon Pickering, Green party councillor and chair of the council's environment committee said: "Empty homes brought back into use can provide homes for people who really need them as well as contributing to the housing supply to meet local need, prevent neighbourhood decline and regenerate areas."

Owners of empty properties can find out more about the loans by contacting the council’s housing renewal team on 01453 754478 or email environmental.health@stroud.gov.uk

Councils decide who gets offered housing based on a ‘points’ or ‘banding’ system.

Points and bands are based on housing need. For example, you’re likely to be offered housing first if you are homeless, live in cramped conditions or have a medical condition made worse by your current home.

(Ebley Mill)