Slough council housing waiting list hits 10-year high
- Published
The council said supply was not keeping up with demand but it was managing "as best we can"
Council housing waiting lists in Slough are at their highest level in a decade.
A total of 2,854 people are currently waiting for social housing, the borough council said, the highest number since 2013/14.
In the past 10 years, the number of council homes available in the area has fallen.
The council said supply was not keeping up with demand but it was managing "as best we can".
The figures, which include applications from people who are currently homeless, are the highest since 3,753 people were on the list a decade ago. It follows a low of 1,638 in 2021/22.
The data, obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, also showed the number of council homes available in the area had fallen from 6,352 to 6,255 in the intervening 10 years.
In this period, the council also sold a total of 420 homes to tenants under the Right to Buy scheme.
A council spokesperson said local authorities "remain under significant pressure", saying housing supply "does not come near to meeting demand" - especially social and affordable housing.
"We do not expect the situation to improve in the foreseeable future, given current national policy relating to the provision of social housing," the spokesperson added.