UK housing crisis is so bad that some people waiting 55 years for a social home: 'We need change'

The golden years of council housing are long gone and, with millions of people on social housing waiting lists in England, some are people facing a wait of more than half a century to move into their own social home.

The National Housing Federation (NHF) has analysed waiting lists across the country where almost 1.3 million people are in the queue for a home. Add up the waiting list in every area of England and there is a combined wait of 1,844 years.

The wait is longest in London borough Greenwich where prospective social homeowners face a 55-year delay. In fact, nine of the top 10 longest waits are in the English capital all with waits of more than 20 years. Mansfield in Nottinghamshire is the outlier in the top 10 with a wait of 29 years.

At the other end of the spectrum, six areas of England, mostly in the Midlands, have a wait of under a year with people in Stafford facing a delay of just 51 days, according to the NHF analysis.

The group, which represents housing associations in England, is calling on prospective MPs from all parties to commit to a long-term plan for housing ahead of the general election, arguing building 90,000 social rent homes a year could bring a £50bn boost to the economy.

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “These figures show just how widespread the housing crisis is across the country. In some places it could take decades before households on the waiting list will be able to live in an affordable social home.

“The lack of genuinely affordable housing means that for many, the only option is unsuitable and unaffordable private rented homes. Others face being forced to move away from their jobs, schools and communities, and even being at risk of homelessness.

“Social housing is a vital public resource which has become scarcer because of short-term thinking and piecemeal policy decisions from successive governments. But we can change this. That’s why we’re urging all political parties to commit to a long-term plan to deliver the secure, affordable, high-quality homes local people need.”

A failure by successive governments to fund and build social housing is one of the key contributors to the housing crisis.

Many people on low incomes who would have lived in the social housing sector in the past are instead forced into the more expensive private rental sector, potentially putting them at greater risk of homelessness. 

Social housing stock has also diminished in recent decades due to the failure to replace homes bought under the Right to Buy scheme.

In total, 25,749 social homes were either sold or demolished last year in England, yet just 9,500 social homes were built – a net loss of 16,188 homes. Crisis chief executive Matt Downie described these official figures as “disgraceful” in February and called for a “major programme of social housebuilding” to prevent homelessness.

Around 200,000 social homes have been lost in England in the last decade.

The issue has seen a record number of homeless families living in temporary accommodation with councils across the country struggling to cover the costs of the 109,000 households they are putting up in B&Bs and other unsuitable accommodation.

The results of housing shortages can also be seen in the NHF figures.

While Greenwich leads the way with a 55-year wait for social housing, four other London boroughs have waiting lists of over 30 years, including Newham (38 years), Brent (35) as well as Merton and City of London (both 31).

As for other big cities, there is a seven-year wait in Manchester as well as a wait of more than four years in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Social Housing Action Campaign’s Suz Muna said: “The chronic underfunding of council housing has created a very deep social crisis in Britain. These figures speak to the need for a major change in public housing policy.

“Right to Buy must end, and the current model of public housing replaced with proper investment in council homes that are genuinely affordable. Rents need to be more realistic, and based on average wages, not compared to market rent levels, as they are now. We need rent controls for private housing to reduce full market prices.

“Failing to do this creates daily misery for millions of people, including children, whose normal lives have been disrupted because they are in precarious housing. They can’t properly plan for the future, and have to live with an intolerable level of insecurity. It’s also a false economy for the country, putting pressure on other council, health, and education services.”

The government has an £11.5 billion affordable homes programme to deliver more homes for rent and to buy and is providing £1.2 billion to councils over three years to help people out of temporary accommodation.

Last year Labour promised the “biggest boost to affordable housing for a generation” if the party wins the next general election with deputy leader Angela Rayner pledging to unlock government grants to deliver new homes through the affordable homes programme.

The National Housing Federation has created a digital toolkit for people looking to ensure their local MP candidates commit to a long-term #PlanForHousing. For more details, head here.

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