Waiting is agony for people stuck in housing backlog

'WE'VE NEVER KNOWN THE NEED TO BE SO GREAT'

- LOUIS CORBETT reports

“SERIOUS failings in management”, 11,000 on the waiting list, 400 applications to join the list each month and over 300 people bidding all for one property at a time...

If you're trying to bid for social housing in Nottingham, it can feel like a desperate situation. With people waiting for years in temporary accommodation or private rented properties, the situation can feel hopeless as they are left in limbo, praying their bids are accepted.

These are the stories that have been silently developing for years, with families now struggling more than ever in the bidding system. The Labour-led city council has sold off a significant amount of stock – 24,000 council homes since the early 1980s under Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Right To Buy policy.

So with a diminishing stock and demand soaring, how are people coping with being on the council house waiting list for so long?