Councillor claim that housing crisis is forcing people to stay in abusive relationships
The “housing crisis” in Northumberland is forcing people in emotionally abusive relationships to stay with their partners rather than face homelessness, a councillor has warned.
Coun Georgina Hill, who chairs Northumberland County Council’s health and wellbeing scrutiny committee, said she was dealing with such cases in her Berwick East ward.
There were around 12,000 people on the local authority’s housing list at the end of 2025, although the Conservative-led administration at County Hall has plans to remove more than half of those people who are in lower priority banding in order to focus more on those in greater need.
However, Coun Hill said there was simply “not enough” housing in the county.
She said: “All roads lead to the housing crisis that we are in. I just fear that, because of the failures of successive governments and because there isn’t enough housing and because it’s so difficult, we can find money for a problem but we can’t magic more houses suddenly.
“From a safeguarding point of view, one of the examples that comes up was if you had somebody fleeing domestic abuse and they had been physically attacked, I feel that the opportunities and resources are there and they can get temporary accommodation.
“However, I am aware of people in emotionally abusive relationships and because of housing they’re trapped in an abusive home because they think that while it’s awful being in that abusive relationship, there’s probably one thing worse and that’s not having a roof over their head.
“Housing for all our work is at the centre, it is critical. There’s not an easy solution because there isn’t enough houses because we haven’t built enough and we haven’t dealt with the crisis.”
The council says the changes being made to the housing list are expected to help prevent homelessness by enabling quicker access to social housing. Under the changes, criteria for local connection will be tightened, with only applicants who can verify their local connection eligible to join the housing register.
Band 3 applicants – the lowest band of need – are being removed as they have “no identified housing need” or are from outside of the county. Those applying to join the Northumberland Homefinder Register will need to “demonstrate an identifiable housing need”.
New financial assessment thresholds will consider applicants’ income, savings and assets to ensure that social housing is prioritised for households who are unable to secure suitable accommodation either in the private rented sector or through home ownership.
The council says these changes may mean that some households may avoid the need for temporary accommodation altogether, while others are likely to spend significantly less time in temporary housing before securing a settled home.
Individuals fleeing domestic abuse who require urgent re-housing are typically awarded Band P (Urgent and Severe Housing Need). This is the highest band for emergency cases, such as those at risk of serious harm or requiring urgent sanctuary.
However, the council has also admitted that the number of available council homes in Northumberland has steadily declined over recent decades due to national Right to Buy legislation, while demand for affordable housing continues to grow – £45million has been allocated in the Medium-Term Financial Plan up to 2026/27 to deliver more affordable housing in areas where it is needed most.