Blyth and Ashington MP clashes with council over plans to remove thousands from social housing waiting list

Labour’s Ian Lavery branded the move “callous” and “desperate” during a debate in the House of Commons. The Tories have hit back by accusing Mr Lavery of failing to understand the figures.

It comes after the Conservative-led council unveiled plans to remove those in Band 3 of the housing list as part of wide-ranging changes to the system. The move would see more than 8,000 people taken off the housing list, which is made up of around 14,000 people at any one time.

Residents in Band 3 are classed as “adequately housed” and the council argue removing them would paint a more accurate picture of the county’s housing need. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Lavery called for a debate into the issue and said he had been contacted by worried local residents.

He said: “At the stroke of a pen Tory led Northumberland County Council are about to wipe off 9,000 people from the county’s housing waiting list. My office is beset by constituents desperately in need of secure affordable accommodation but even those in the highest priority bandings are often unable to get the houses they need.

“This is a simple callous attempt to massage the huge housing lists rather than deal with the issue. Can we have a debate in Government time to discuss how we can ensure those in need of decent affordable housing are not easily cast aside and thrown onto the scrap by Northumberland County Council.”

In a statement issued separately, Mr Lavery accused the Tories of attempting to “massage” the housing figures.

He added: “The move to massage the housing crisis in Northumberland by striking off thousands of people who need secure accommodation is a disgrace. But even cutting thousands from the waiting list will do nothing to improve the situation for those who even the council agree need properties now.

“Older people in Blyth and Ashington who need bungalows are unable to get them, families who need larger houses also missing out and tenants being evicted are being given reckless advice that puts them at risk of incurring court costs. There is a housing crisis in Northumberland that needs to be tackled, but it needs a proper solution not a callous fudge.”

It comes amid an ongoing row between Labour and the Conservatives over the county’s new housing targets. The Tories have reacted furiously after the Government announced that the annual target would be increasing from 549 to 1,649 – an uplift of 200%.

However, Labour have argued that there is a significant need for new homes in the county, and pointed out that the Conservative-led council has overseen the building of an average of 1,552 new homes every year since 2017.

Responding to Mr Lavery’s comments, the council’s cabinet member for housing Coun Colin Horncastle said: “Mr Lavery is talking nonsense. He obviously has limited understanding of how it works.

“This is just an attempt to justify government plans to concrete over the Green belt around our towns.

“The applicants that council propose to remove from the Housing list are not in a priority need of housing in Northumberland – in fact, many are from outside the county.

“Mr Lavery seems happy for our officers, and those from the registered social landlords such as Bernicia and Karbon Homes, to dilute their time on applicants who the council and RSLs aren’t statutory obliged to even consider, instead of concentrating on people with a real housing need.”

The council’s figures showed that there are 1,178 people on the housing register with no “local connection” – in other words, who do not live in Northumberland.