UTTOXETER has the highest number of people on the housing register in East Staffordshire as the area suffers a critical shortage of affordable homes, a damning report has revealed.
The report, by East Staffordshire Borough Council, shows that in the Uttoxeter Heath and Town ward 271 people are on the housing register with 720 expressions of interest.
The shocking figures reveal nearly 2,500 people in East Staffordshire are on the register and around 91 per cent are not being given the homes they need.
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 report.
Almost a fifth of those on the register are aged under 25, while one-tenth are aged over 65.
Community champion Jerry Latham, who is a vocal campaigner for affordable houses in Uttoxeter, said: “These figures justify everything I have said. We are in desperate need of affordable housing.
“If Uttoxeter is going to thrive in the future we have got to attract younger people but there is just no affordable housing for them at the moment.
“My view is that planning should ensure a decent inclusion of affordable housing in any new development.
“It doesn’t have to be for rent it could be part of a shared equity scheme where they would gradually own more of the house.
“That way younger people can get on the property ladder. I have heard in the past people say there is more of a need for executive housing but it is affordable housing there is a desperate shortage of.
“It has always been my view we need more affordable housing.” Ron Dougan, chief executive at Trent and Dove Housing, which administers social housing in East Staffordshire after taking over the council’s housing stock in 2001, 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.
“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.
“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.
It was reported last month that affordable housing stock in rural areas of East Staffordshire was in critically short supply, according to the Countryside Alliance.
