More than 40,000 people remain on council housing waiting lists across the North East, according to the latest available data.
Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) through freedom of information requests show that at least 44,887 applications remain on waiting lists for some form of social housing across the region.
Northumberland County Council’s 12,275 is the largest housing register, though the authority signed off plans last month to slash that by more than half.
The Tory-run council will  delete the 7,088 people currently in the lowest priority Band 3, who councillors argue have no realistic chance of getting a property as they do not have an “identified housing need”.
The breakdown of pending housing applications by council area through available data are:
- Northumberland County Council: 12,275
- Durham County Council: 10,250
- Newcastle City Council: 8,471
- Gateshead Council: 6,720
- South Tyneside: 3,785
- North Tyneside: 3,386
The LDRS awaits figures from Sunderland City Council, which is still within the time limits under the Freedom of Information Act to provide the requested data.
A Northumberland County Council spokesperson said: ” We have recently reviewed our housing allocation policy to ensure focus is on those in greatest need of a new home. This revised approach will reduce the size of the register by more than half to approximately 6,000, allowing the Council to focus on those, for example, with medical needs, overcrowding in their current home and local connections.”
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said “Like many cities across the UK, Newcastle is facing very high demand for social housing while the number of available homes remains limited. This reflects a national housing shortage that has been worsened by years of underfunding in social and affordable housing.
“The housing register is demand-led and includes people in a wide range of circumstances, including those seeking more suitable or affordable housing. Our focus is on making the best possible use of the homes we have, supporting residents with advice and homelessness prevention, and continuing to bring forward new council and affordable homes with our partners.
“The Government has announced plans to build up to 1.5 million new homes by the end of this Parliament, which we hope will help increase supply and ease pressure over time.”
Mike Allum, Durham County Council’s strategy and delivery manager, said: “Council house waiting lists have increased in recent years due to a number of factors including the cost-of-living crisis and a reduction in cheaper private rented accommodation. This has made owning a property beyond the reach of many in the United Kingdom, with private rented accommodation also becoming increasingly expensive for households as demand increases.
“At the same time, people are valuing their social tenancies more, resulting in the turnover of social housing significantly decreasing and less properties becoming available.
“County Durham is the largest local authority in the region, and we would therefore expect to have a larger waiting list than other areas.
“However, our Cabinet is committed to ensuring everyone has access to high quality housing and we are working closely with social housing providers to help them meet the demand. We are also building more council houses across the county and bringing empty properties back into use as affordable family homes.”
