Council to purge housing list as it reveals some have “no possibility” of getting a home

A district council's housing policy has been described as a 'complete failure'after it emerged people were being added to its housing register who had no hope of getting a home.

Breckland Council is proposing changes to its Housing Allocations Policy as it struggles to cope with demand, with 2,182 households on its waiting list as of June 6.

A report, to go before councillors at a meeting on Tuesday, states that the council is receiving around 150 applications a month, which each take an officer one to two hours to process.

The service means people are getting on to the register with 'no realistic possibility of being housed'.

Terry Jermy, Labour group leader at Breckland, said the housing policy needed a fundamental review.

'This report clearly highlights the complete failure of Breckland Council's policy regarding social and affordable housing.

'What the report basically says is that due to continued under investment in affordable housing it is now recognised that the chances of support being provided to those that need it is so bleak, that the council is now not even going to allow people to join the housing register,' he said.

A spokesman for Breckland said: 'The proposed revisions to Breckland's Housing Allocations Policy aim to ensure that the council is able to make best use of available resources to prioritise and best support individuals and families with the greatest housing need.'

He added: 'Under the proposed policy, we will be more able to prioritise residents with the greatest need for affordable housing, while offering alternative, more meaningful support to those with low or no requirement for social housing, for instance help accessing private rented accommodation.'