Over 4,400 applicants on Wrexham’s social housing waiting list

Almost 4,500 applicants are on a waiting list for social housing in Wrexham County Borough.

The cost-of-living crisis and the coronavirus pandemic has seen the number of applicants for council houses rise from 1,849 in January 2020 to 4,455 in March 2023.

The figures have been provided as part of a report due before the local authority’s homes and environment scrutiny committee on Wednesday (May 17).

Currently 21 per cent of households in Wrexham live in a socially rented property – which is one of the highest rates in Wales.

Despite having a social housing stock of 11,065 – which the report states as being larger than many Welsh local authorities – turnover is described as being relatively low.

It is thought that this could be due to “factors such as a reduction in housing options and the cost of house purchase, prompting many households to remain in Council housing rather than move.”

Current demand for housing is outweighed by single person households, with 58.5 per cent of all applicants registered for Council housing are requesting a one bedroom property.

However the local authority states that “the current inability to meet demand is clear”, with only 34 per of properties that have become available being one bedroom.

When the number of designated older persons’ properties is removed from this figure, only 12.7 per cent of vacancies were 1 bedroom general needs, suitable for allocation to a person under the age 60 years.

Applications for social housing are sorted into banding based on priority, with Band 1 including applicants who are tenants of Wrexham County Borough Council who are at risk of financial hardship due to Welfare Reform, members of the armed forces leaving the service and applicants who have been assessed as having a critical medical or welfare need.

There are also 857 open homeless cases in the county borough, with 281 currently housed in temporary accomodation.

Wednesday’s report notes that of the 4,455 applicants there are are over 1,900 classed as Band 4 – which includes people who have no identified housing need, no connection to the area, people who are assessed as being intentionally homeless and applicants who have deliberately worsened their housing conditions.

The report states: “This figure equates to 43 per cent. If the council were to restrict access to the register to those who only have an identified housing need, the number of applicants could be reduced to 2,523 and would also give a more accurate picture of housing need within the County Borough.”

Of the council’s housing stock 377 properties are void, which is down from a peak of 537 in 2020-21.

The average turnaround time of these properties is 32 weeks, with the report stating that “when those that are being held for major refurbishment work are removed, this reduces to 21 weeks.”

Since 2015 Wrexham Council has built 27 new units of accomodation at Nant Silyn in Caia Park and at Gwynant in Plas Madoc.

However it is noted that work on any further new builds has been halted due to phosphates, which the local authority says has “created a backlog in the provision of new affordable housing, at a time when the numbers of households registered for Council housing has increased significantly.”

In terms of expanding the council’s housing stock, the report states: “Given that the Housing Department has a paucity of green field sites that are suitable for development, there is an ongoing feasibility study that is looking at whether there is potential to use existing brown field sites in its ownership.

“There are, for example, some disused garage sites in the County Borough which, with some work, could be used for new build properties.

“The study is not only focussing on where these sites are and their size but also whether development is possible given the ownership of surrounding properties and land.

“As the vast majority of these sites do sit within Council estates and so could lend themselves to a natural extension to the stock, if surrounding properties are no longer in Council ownership and have been bought under the Right to Buy, being able to make the necessary vehicular access arrangements for example become practically impossible.”

The report will be considered by members of the council’s homes and environment scrutiny committee on Wednesday 17 May.