7,000 axed from county council's home waiting list

THOUSANDS of people with “no chance’ of getting a council house in Northumberland will be removed from the county's waiting list.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

Councillors signed off plans on Tuesday that will see more than 7,000 people without an “identified housing need” wiped off the housing register.

Bosses say the move, which will cut the size of Northumberland County Council's housing register by more than half, is needed to help focus the efforts of local authority and housing provider staff on those in greatest need of a new home - such as those with medical issues or who are living in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions.

Critics had branded the overhaul “cruel” when the proposed reorganisation was unveiled earlier this year.