Mansfield and Ashfield council house waiting lists to be slashed in half as thousands of applicants told they’re now ineligible

From April 1, anyone who earns more than £25,000 per year, has savings of more than £6,000 or owns a home will be struck off the waiting list and will no longer be eligible for a council property.

In addition, the lowest-priority band of the waiting list, band five, which contains applicants who want a council house but are said to have ‘no real need’, will be scrapped, along with other changes to the banding system.

It means that more than 3,500 people will be dumped from the queue in less than six weeks’ time.

Mansfield Council states that there are 3,204 applicants on the band five waiting list in the Mansfield area, with approximately another 300 applicants earning more than the new annual threshold across both districts.

In Ashfield, however, those already on the waiting list in band five – around 2,200 people – will be allowed to remain on it.

Documents say that social housing across Mansfield and Ashfield is in ‘exceptionally high demand'.

The councils for the two areas operate a joint council housing system, the policy for which had not been updated since 2018, when it was decided that changes should be made in 2025.

A public consultation was held last summer, beginning in June and running for six weeks, with residents invited to provide their views.

Nearly 500 respondents contributed, and the council says these responses were influential in setting the new threshold and in abolishing band five.

The proposed changes to the policy were then revealed in documents published in late January.

On February 4, Mansfield council’s housing operations and safeguarding manager met with Coun Anne Callaghan (Lab) – the Labour-controlled council’s cabinet member for housing – to agree to the updates.

The new income and savings thresholds are either £25,000 in annual earnings for a single person or a couple, £34,000 for a family, or £6,000 in savings for anyone.

Previously, there was no limit for how much a person could earn and still apply for a council house, but the council assessed individuals’ finances, and if they were deemed able to buy their own property, they were not allowed to join the waiting list.

Similarly, those who already own a home will now be disqualified from joining the list unless they have a “very urgent housing need” and “do not have the financial resources to meet their own needs”.

Homeowners were placed in band five anyway, which is being scrapped under the changes.

Also newly excluded are people who owe a private landlord £1000 or more, which the council says ‘should encourage efforts to resolve disputes and housing debts’.

Previously, those with a current debt could join the waiting list, but only on band four or lower, while those with a former debt were not restricted in any way.

‘Local connection’ requirements – which dictate that if someone isn’t from or living in Mansfield themselves, must have immediate family who have lived in the area for at least five years – are also changing.

The definition of a local connection will become stricter, with immediate family now only counting if they have lived in the area for at least ten years.

The family must now also prove they either provide or receive ‘essential support’ to or from the applicant, which was not a requirement before.

However there is a new exemption for survivors of domestic abuse or care leavers, who now no longer need to prove a local connection at all.

The scrapping of band five means that, as well as homeowners, applicants who are currently in prison, who live in a caravan or a boat, or who live in a property that requires repairs that can be carried out, will no longer be eligible for council housing.

Band five currently accounts for around 50 per cent of the entire waiting list, meaning the list will be halved in size when the changes take effect on April 1.

Documents say that those in band five rarely ever get to the front of the queue anyway – with ‘almost 100 per cent’ of family homes let to applicants in bands one and two.

It adds: “The Housing Register should focus on assisting those households in housing need.”

Also changing is the eligibility and position on the waiting list of social housing tenants – that is, people who live in properties which aren’t owned by the council, but are owned by housing associations or companies that work with the council to provide them, but want a council house.

Those who are not occupying their social housing property much (underoccupying) were previously put in band two.

But under the changes, they will be put in band one in order to free up their current homes for someone else.

Care leavers will be put in band one instead of band two by default, as opposed to previously, when they were only moved to band one if they weren’t housed within six weeks on band two.

Supported housing tenants who are ready to move to living independently will now be put in band two by default – as opposed to previously, when they were only considered to be put in band two on welfare grounds.

Social housing tenants who have no need for a council house will no longer be eligible – previously, they could be put in band three if they had lived in their property for more than 12 months and had not broken the tenancy agreement.

Families who live in a property without a garden will no longer be put in band three – previously, they were automatically eligible for their children’s health.

Now, the council says: “Increasingly, families are living in flats, it is a standard property type of choice.”

A policy on families being eligible for a property with an extra bedroom if they have two young children of opposite sexes has also been amended, meaning the children only have to reach the age of eight before the family is eligible, instead of 10.

And those who were previously eligible for band three because they currently share cooking, washing and living facilities are now no longer automatically eligible.

A full list of policy changes, including minor amendments, has been sent to everyone on the waiting list.