Wigan tenant on council house waiting list for 44 years

About 12,500 people are currently on the housing register in Wigan

A tenant has been on a council house waiting list in for 44 years.

Councillors admit they were "baffled" the resident had been on the list in Wigan since 1979.

Councillor Susan Gambles said the person had never bid for a housing allocation.

Tenant representative Chris Brady said: "We came to the conclusion that those were the days when you had parents who said, 'As soon as you leave the house, get your name on that list'."

The resident is said to be aware they are still on the list as it is reviewed every year.

The case highlighted the need to change the allocation system for social housing, tenant representatives said.

People can apply for council housing through the local authority, with each having their own rules and offer housing based on a points or banding system.

Wigan Council's housing advisory panel have now approved a review into how applications are submitted, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The points system will be changed and it has been recommended that medical professionals be used to confirm claims concerning health issues.

Other proposals include better online application services to avoid data loss and more streamlined checks to tackle false claims.

About 12,500 people are currently on the housing register in Wigan, which has a population of 329,300.

More than 5,280 people bid for properties on a regular basis but only 1,228 council properties became vacant last year - lower than expected.