Housing crisis Surge in numbers on waiting list as city goes to polls

OVER twice as many Bristolians are waiting for social housing compared to 2017 as new figures show the growing scale of the housing crisis. The annual number of people booked into temporary accommodation has also doubled over the same period.

Figures released after a Freedom of Information request to Bristol City Council show that in April 2017, there were 8,266 households on the housing register in Bristol. This has risen steadily over the past few years, and now stands at 21,411 according to the latest figures.

In 2016-17, there were 1,314 households booked into temporary accommodation over the year. ‘Households’ include families, couples and single people. The latest figures show that in 2022-23 there were 3,657 booked into temporary accommodation.

The rising number of people desperate for somewhere to live in Bristol raises questions about how the housing crisis has become more severe. Housing is playing a key role in upcoming local elections, and will be on the minds of many voters when they cast their ballot today.

Labour has been in power in Bristol since 2016, but could lose control of the city council to the Greens.

Under Labour, many more new homes have been built in the city, although critics have often raised concerns that too many of these are unaffordable for people on average incomes.

Many “affordable” homes built in recent years have been shared ownership flats. These are meant to be cheaper than normal homes to buy, but residents end up with both a mortgage and rent to pay – as well as “uncapped and hefty” service charges, MPs warned in April.

According to a cabinet report in April, there are currently 1,400 households staying in temporary accommodation in Bristol. This is a lower number than given in the freedom of information response, likely as many people do not stay in temporary housing for an extended period.

Housing was the first topic debated by party leaders on Monday, April 29, at a hustings hosted by Neil Maggs and the Bristol Cable.

Labour and the Greens pledged to lobby the government for new powers to introduce rent controls, as well as build thousands of council homes.

Labour Councillor Tom Renhard said: “Our big standout policy in our manifesto is getting 3,000 new council homes created over the next five years.

“It’ll be a mixture of homes we’ll build directly as a council, homes built through our council-owned housing company Goram Homes, and homes we will buy as well.

“There’s a lot of properties that were bought under right-to-buy that we can buy back and bring straight into use for people on the housing waiting list or in temporary accommodation.

“We’re also progressing plans to set up a second council-owned housing company.”

Green Cllr Tony Dyer added: “Rent controls have existed in the UK before, shortly after World War I, and again in the 1950s. One of the things we would like to do, with setting up a second council-owned housing company, is to introduce rent controls as part of that work, to demonstrate proof of concept and that it can work.”

Tories say more housing needs to be built just outside Bristol’s boundaries, and the council needs to collaborate with neighbouring councils and the West of England Combined Authority. Liberal Democrats said they would focus on building housing on brownfield sites, and want to protect countryside from development, such as in between Keynsham and Brislington.