Research shows that one in ten people looking for an affordable home in the North West are waiting for a property in Bolton. The NHF (National Housing Federation) claims it will take around two or three generations to clear the backlog unless huge investment is made.
The NHF represent not for profit housing associations throughout England and they report that in Bolton alone 25,000 families with an interest in cheap household insurance are on social housing waiting lists. With spiralling mortgage deposits and private rents, more and more people are finding affordable housing out of reach. Many couples in this situation turn to the social housing waiting list while they wait for the housing market to improve. The NHF also says that the average wait for social housing in Bolton is four times longer than a decade ago. Housing chiefs in Bolton claim the federation’s figures did not show the true picture but agreed that more can be done to get people into a new home.
Jon Longden, the National Housing Federation’s lead manager for the North West, said “Caught in an impossible can’t buy, can’t rent dilemma, families face life-changing years on social housing waiting lists. The North West desperately needs a strong social housing sector to help economic development. The Government must act quickly so more affordable homes are built and empty homes are brought back into use before the North’s broken housing market gets any worse.”
Bolton at Home are the biggest social housing provider in the area and even though they recently took over nearly 20,000 council houses in the borough they fully recognise the need to make more housing available to the people who need it. The organisation plans to build new properties and start a downsizing scheme which will free up some much needed family homes.