Council plans to remove thousands from social housing list as chance of being housed ‘unrealistic’

More than 3,000 people are set to be wiped from the North Northants social housing register

Photo by Super Straho on Unsplash

By Sarah Ward

North Northamptonshire Council is planning a cull of its housing register with more than 3,000 people due to be taken off the list, as their chances of being housed are ‘unrealistic’ and even ‘non-existent’.

Homeowners; people who have their name down for social housing but already are sharing a property; those awaiting sheltered accommodation and already have a house and those with a local connection to a village are all set to be wiped from the register as part of an overhaul of the way social housing is allocated by the council.

As part of the changes domestic abuse victims, care leavers and adults living in supported accommodation and ready to move to independent living, will become higher priorities on the list and be recategorised as band A - highest priority.

But an expected 3,000 people across the area which runs from the North to the East of the county, will lose any hope of social housing under the new banding system which will see Band E totally removed and Band D reduced.

The current allocation scheme has been in existence since 2021 and changes are being made partly in order to have fewer applicants to monitor and free up time for staff working in the housing department. The authority has not built housing in any significant numbers since it was founded four years ago, with criticism of the former Tory administration for not having a housing strategy.

The report says:

“The proposed scheme will provide an enhanced customer experience, realistic outcomes for applicants, create further efficiencies, savings and reduce pressures on the service area.

“North Northamptonshire, like other areas nationally, are facing an increasing demand for social/affordable housing that far outstrips supply. The council has seen a 129% increase in the housing register from April 2022 to April 2025 (2937 vs 6727). The monthly average of new housing applications received for assessment for 2024/2025 was 560 per month.

“The scheme primarily offers households with a housing need (as defined by the scheme) choice in bidding for a home while giving reasonable preference to those in the greatest housing need and with a local connection to North Northamptonshire whilst making best use of stock.”

In 2024/25 there were 1,528 social homes let, with a total of 165 people in Band A.

The new allocation scheme will see 3,107 people removed which is broken down to 1,724 people who are in a home share, 1136 who are home owners or who live in sheltered accommodation and 247 people who are on the register because they have a local connection to a village.

The report says:

“The impact on these households is expected to be minimal. Their prospects of being housed via the housing register are unrealistic and/or non-existent.

“This is due to the demand from households who establish a housing need and must in housing law be awarded a reasonable preference on the scheme. All households will be provided with advice and assistance in exploring alternative housing solutions in the area which will include the private sector, low cost home ownership schemes and mutual exchange.

“Many applicants maintain an expectation and aspiration that they will be housed through the housing register. This leads to applicants being disappointed about the amount of time they are on the housing register, increased complaints and limits the applicant’s engagement or motivation to seek alternative housing solutions. The council needs to manage the perception that social housing is the only viable housing solution available.

“The proposed scheme would provide clarity and transparency that social/affordable housing will be available to those with a housing need only and direct those who do not meet the criteria to alternative housing solutions such as mutual exchange, low-cost home ownership and the private rented sector.”

The changes will also prevent single people and couples without children from bidding for properties of more than one bedroom. The amount of times people can bid on a property each week will rise from three to five.

The scrutiny committee, which meets next Tuesday (September 3), will be asked to make recommendations to take forward to the council’s executive, which is led by Reform UK leader Martin Griffiths.

A six-week consultation will take place before any changes are made by the executive. The authority says the new scheme would involve some IT changes and has already purchased £18,000 of assistance from public sector IT firm Civica to make the changes.