Brentwood waiting list rockets

Published by Brian Church for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Local Government

It looks like a long wait for a council home in Brentwood, according to the local paper. The number of people waiting for a council house in Brentwood shot up almost 10 times faster than the national average, the Brentwood Gazette reported.

According to council figures, the waiting list rocketed from 777 in April 2004 to 2,514 in April 2011, which works out at an increase of 223 percent compared to the national average for England of 28 percent.

Between April 2011 and April 2012, the council's waiting list increased from 2,514 to 3,054.

A council spokesman told the paper: "Our current revision of our waiting list will see a change requiring anyone on it to have a local connection. This will lead to the reduction in the waiting list where there is no such restriction currently."