NEARLY 2,500 people are sitting on the housing register in East Staffordshire due to a critical shortage of affordable homes, the Mail can reveal.
Around 91 per cent of people on the housing register are not being given the homes they need, a damning council report has claimed.
The record waiting list for affordable property means East Staffordshire processes more housing applicants than any other region in the county.
People aged between 25 and 49 make up more than half those on the waiting list, according to the East Staffordshire Borough Council report.
Almost a fifth of those on the register are aged under 25, while one-tenth are aged over 65.
Ron Dougan, chief executive at Trent and Dove Housing, which administers social housing in East Staffordshire, said: “Affordable housing continues to be a problem across the country and East Staffordshire is no exception to this.
“Homes for sale are out of range for a large number of people, even for those in good jobs, and mortgages are still difficult to obtain, requiring substantial deposits.”
Mr Dougan, whose organisation had took over the borough council’s housing stock in 2001, continued: “Trent and Dove is planning to build 126 new homes this year, a record number for us.
“Unfortunately, this will still not make a major inroad into the waiting list, which is growing every year.”
He added: “When any of our properties do become empty, they are in great demand, shown by an average of 20 bids for every home that comes available.
“We are eagerly awaiting notification from the Homes and Communities Agency regarding support to help us build more affordable homes over the next four years.”
An affordable home is a property valued at less than 3.5 times the household income, or which costs no more than a quarter of the household income to rent.
The areas of East Staffordshire with the largest housing waiting lists are Uttoxeter, Stapenhill and Horninglow.
Housing officials receive most expressions of interest in applying for affordable homes in Stapenhill and Winshill.
The Mail reported last month that affordable housing stock in rural areas of East Staffordshire, South Derbyshire and North West Leicestershire was in critically short supply, according to the Countryside Alliance.
