Immigrants should be self supporting, and not relying on social housing.
>British nationals will be prioritised for council housing under plans being considered by ministers to address concerns over migration.
The government is discussing legislation for inclusion in the King’s Speech this autumn that will require councils to push British citizens and permanent residents higher up waiting lists and stop others “jumping the queue”.
More than 1.2 million households are waiting for social housing and about one in ten of those given a home are non-UK nationals, with the figure considerably higher in areas with more migrants.
Under current rules, foreigners with visas giving them indefinite leave to stay in Britain are eligible for council housing, alongside refugees and those on schemes such as Homes for Ukraine. Existing guidance also recommends that people should have lived locally for two years before they qualify for social housing.
Ministers are concerned the rules are not strong enough, amid public concern about record immigration levels. Net migration hit a record 606,000 last year, a figure that Rishi Sunak says is “too high” but which the Treasury sees as crucial to boosting growth.
The discussions about social housing are at a relatively early stage and are expected to focus on giving British nationals priority rather than barring non-Britons entirely. A source familiar with the plans said: “Social housing is a finite resource so it’s only right we look at what more we can do to ensure UK nationals are prioritised locally as homes become available. The UK will always welcome the economic contribution of legal migrants to this country, but they shouldn’t be allowed to jump the queue for social homes.”
The government would retain existing protections for veterans and domestic abuse victims, while ministers are also keen to ensure there are no “knock-on effects” for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees who have come to the UK under official schemes.
Under current rules, priority for council housing is given to those who are homeless, domestic abuse victims and those living in overcrowded homes.
In Brent, northwest London, 40 per cent of new social homes were let to non-UK nationals in 2021-22. In Southwark the proportion was 29 per cent, in Oxford 26 per cent and in Milton Keynes 23 per cent. Other places with relatively high figures include Manchester, Coventry, and Birmingham.
Councils insist that they prioritise based on local need and many of those areas have higher numbers of lower- income families from outside the UK.
Polly Neate, chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, said: “If you try to push British citizens up the priority list then others with greater need will be ignored and lose out, including homeless families with children who have every right to be here, and those fleeing war in places like Ukraine.
“What this policy amounts to is an admission of failure by the government to build enough social housing.”
She said there were already “stringent rules” and reforming them “is just scapegoating a group of people to distract from the fact that the vast majority of households on the waiting list have no hope of a home anyway because we haven’t built a fraction of the social homes needed”.
The government has faced criticism over housebuilding after the number of new homes granted permission in England fell to its lowest since the 2008 financial crisis. Last year Michael Gove, the housing secretary, bowed to Tory rebels by dropping mandatory targets on councils for housebuilding.
The problem is worse for council and housing association homes. Just 7,500 for social rent were built in 2021-22, out of 59,175 homes classed as “affordable”, such as those in shared-ownership schemes. Overall social home numbers fell by 14,000 as they were sold under right-to-buy schemes. The number of council and housing association homes is down by more than 165,000 in the past decade.
That’s all well and good and appeals to the racists in society but are you building more social housing or just hoping this will do?
if the housing shortage wasnt so dire this could have had an impact on the social situation for the uk’s poorest, as it is, is arguing over who locked the 3rd class gates on the titanic.
government needs to be building houses itself. not fobbing it off to developers playing with land value.
This is purely “Vote for us because, even though we have been fucking you over for 13 years, we promise to fuck over poor foreigners EVEN HARDER if elected.”
Which of these groups deserves to be thrown under the bus?
> “Under current rules, foreigners with visas giving them indefinite leave to stay in Britain are eligible for council housing, alongside refugees and those on schemes such as Homes for Ukraine. Existing guidance also recommends that people should have lived locally for two years before they qualify for social housing.”
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Is this acctually going to make a measurable difference for people’s lives, given social housing demand vastly outstrips social housing stock.
Surely the most practical thing is push up housing stock or look at other countries that have had similar issues that appear to of applied a solution that has worked . Then apply that model in a region as a pilot scheme , evaluate the success and if it works use as a model for wider adoption
Prioritised for a non existent stock of social housing.
But hey at least you punch down on dirty furriners .
You mean prioritize our own citizens for their own infrastructure?
But only if you are a single mother with children. Ok, I am very cyncial when it comes to my fucking useless tosser ran council but they tend to be useless in everything.
That and we lack council stock all over the country.
Locals are always priority. A council will not house you unless you have grown up in the area and have family there.
Should always have been the case. Just seems incredibly obvious that a state should look after its natives before anyone else.
Alas.
Nice. Now build more too. Prioritising Britons will barely make a blip on the radar without building more. Most people who are being evicted from their dwelling will still be low priority for help and not even get onto council/housing association lists, even if they have health problems.
13 comments
Wild that it’s taken this long.
Immigrants should be self supporting, and not relying on social housing.
>British nationals will be prioritised for council housing under plans being considered by ministers to address concerns over migration.
The government is discussing legislation for inclusion in the King’s Speech this autumn that will require councils to push British citizens and permanent residents higher up waiting lists and stop others “jumping the queue”.
More than 1.2 million households are waiting for social housing and about one in ten of those given a home are non-UK nationals, with the figure considerably higher in areas with more migrants.
Under current rules, foreigners with visas giving them indefinite leave to stay in Britain are eligible for council housing, alongside refugees and those on schemes such as Homes for Ukraine. Existing guidance also recommends that people should have lived locally for two years before they qualify for social housing.
Ministers are concerned the rules are not strong enough, amid public concern about record immigration levels. Net migration hit a record 606,000 last year, a figure that Rishi Sunak says is “too high” but which the Treasury sees as crucial to boosting growth.
The discussions about social housing are at a relatively early stage and are expected to focus on giving British nationals priority rather than barring non-Britons entirely. A source familiar with the plans said: “Social housing is a finite resource so it’s only right we look at what more we can do to ensure UK nationals are prioritised locally as homes become available. The UK will always welcome the economic contribution of legal migrants to this country, but they shouldn’t be allowed to jump the queue for social homes.”
The government would retain existing protections for veterans and domestic abuse victims, while ministers are also keen to ensure there are no “knock-on effects” for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees who have come to the UK under official schemes.
Under current rules, priority for council housing is given to those who are homeless, domestic abuse victims and those living in overcrowded homes.
In Brent, northwest London, 40 per cent of new social homes were let to non-UK nationals in 2021-22. In Southwark the proportion was 29 per cent, in Oxford 26 per cent and in Milton Keynes 23 per cent. Other places with relatively high figures include Manchester, Coventry, and Birmingham.
Councils insist that they prioritise based on local need and many of those areas have higher numbers of lower- income families from outside the UK.
Polly Neate, chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, said: “If you try to push British citizens up the priority list then others with greater need will be ignored and lose out, including homeless families with children who have every right to be here, and those fleeing war in places like Ukraine.
“What this policy amounts to is an admission of failure by the government to build enough social housing.”
She said there were already “stringent rules” and reforming them “is just scapegoating a group of people to distract from the fact that the vast majority of households on the waiting list have no hope of a home anyway because we haven’t built a fraction of the social homes needed”.
The government has faced criticism over housebuilding after the number of new homes granted permission in England fell to its lowest since the 2008 financial crisis. Last year Michael Gove, the housing secretary, bowed to Tory rebels by dropping mandatory targets on councils for housebuilding.
The problem is worse for council and housing association homes. Just 7,500 for social rent were built in 2021-22, out of 59,175 homes classed as “affordable”, such as those in shared-ownership schemes. Overall social home numbers fell by 14,000 as they were sold under right-to-buy schemes. The number of council and housing association homes is down by more than 165,000 in the past decade.
That’s all well and good and appeals to the racists in society but are you building more social housing or just hoping this will do?
if the housing shortage wasnt so dire this could have had an impact on the social situation for the uk’s poorest, as it is, is arguing over who locked the 3rd class gates on the titanic.
government needs to be building houses itself. not fobbing it off to developers playing with land value.
This is purely “Vote for us because, even though we have been fucking you over for 13 years, we promise to fuck over poor foreigners EVEN HARDER if elected.”
Which of these groups deserves to be thrown under the bus?
> “Under current rules, foreigners with visas giving them indefinite leave to stay in Britain are eligible for council housing, alongside refugees and those on schemes such as Homes for Ukraine. Existing guidance also recommends that people should have lived locally for two years before they qualify for social housing.”
[removed]
Is this acctually going to make a measurable difference for people’s lives, given social housing demand vastly outstrips social housing stock.
Surely the most practical thing is push up housing stock or look at other countries that have had similar issues that appear to of applied a solution that has worked . Then apply that model in a region as a pilot scheme , evaluate the success and if it works use as a model for wider adoption
Prioritised for a non existent stock of social housing.
But hey at least you punch down on dirty furriners .
You mean prioritize our own citizens for their own infrastructure?
But only if you are a single mother with children. Ok, I am very cyncial when it comes to my fucking useless tosser ran council but they tend to be useless in everything.
That and we lack council stock all over the country.
Locals are always priority. A council will not house you unless you have grown up in the area and have family there.
Should always have been the case. Just seems incredibly obvious that a state should look after its natives before anyone else.
Alas.
Nice. Now build more too. Prioritising Britons will barely make a blip on the radar without building more. Most people who are being evicted from their dwelling will still be low priority for help and not even get onto council/housing association lists, even if they have health problems.