Social housing: thousands of people in Bristol to be removed from the waiting list

Last week Bristol City Council approved the decision to remove thousands of people in Bristol off the social housing waiting list as bosses admitted it was giving them ‘false hope’ of finding a home.

A report which was presented last week to council leaders showed that less than 1% of the 9,500 households that were considered the least urgent by the local authority were being allocated accommodation, showing there is ‘little to no chance of being successfully housed.’

Cabinet members approved the decision to discard people from the scheme, removing the right of those in Band four – the lowest of the four priority bands categorising people’s need for accommodation – to put in bids for most homes, with the exception of older people looking for sheltered housing.

The changes also mean more applicants will have homes chosen for them, while young people leaving the care, tenants looking to downsize and people at risk of homelessness, will be moved up the list.

Parts of Bristol, including Fishponds, Hengrove, Horfield, Knowle, Lawrence Hill, Southmead and St Pauls, will also see local people given priority to stay in their communities rather than being relocated.

Tom Renhard, Bristol’s Cabinet Member for housing, said: ‘Sadly, the number of residents that require support with council housing massively outweighs the number of properties available – even as we continue to build record numbers of new homes to tackle the housing crisis.’

‘With such high demand, many residents who have a low priority housing need are unlikely to find a new home,’ Renhard said. ‘Our view is simple – everyone in Bristol should have access to a secure, safe and warm home.’

He added: ‘Unaffordable rent prices in the private sector, soaring property values, stagnant wages, and an insufficient number of affordable homes are many reasons why we believe that what this city needs if more council housing, and also a better way of allocating that stock.’

The Cabinet member for housing stated that since 2016 almost 240 new council homes had been added to the housing register – he said: ‘As we move further into our plans for delivering new homes, we expect to see a further 1,715 new council homes over the next five years.’

Image: Chris Lawton