Council's whole housing waiting list told to reapply

More than 2,000 people will have to reapply for social housing in one area of Wales. Ceredigion council said it needed to change its system due to increased demand on the housing register and homelessness services, meaning everyone needs to reapply. It said it would also change how social homes would be allocated and who would be given priority. But charity Shelter Cymru said it was concerned some people could slip through the net, adding that the stakes for people in need of social homes were high. Rent for social housing is more affordable than private rented accommodation and tenancies are more secure. Anyone can apply for social housing and each council in Wales has a housing register, or waiting list. In Ceredigion there are more than 2,000 people on the waiting list. The council said it had not reviewed its system since 2019 and there had been significant changes since then, including the cost of living and the Welsh government's focus on homelessness. It said more people had signed up to the housing register and more people needed homelessness services, meaning it needed to change its policy. The housing register in Ceredigion will be closed for new applications until the beginning of July, but if someone presented as homeless with an immediate housing need they would still be supported, it added. The council said everyone on the register would need to reapply, which could lead to a different place on the list. "We can reassure people that if they reapply to the register by 31 January 2026, we will honour the effective date of the original application, and there will be no need to resubmit evidence such as medical certificates," a council spokesperson said. One woman who has been waiting for a social house in Ceredigion for two years said she had seen a post on Facebook that said she needed to reapply. She wanted to remain anonymous as she was concerned speaking out could affect her chances of being housed. "My situation isn't great but I really feel for people who are more vulnerable – it's absolutely heart-breaking for them," she said. "There will be people who don't have access to email so they'll just drop off the list." The council has since emailed her, but she said they had not signposted agencies that could help, adding she felt trapped and frustrated. "I have no faith in our council, they don't listen. I'm in Band A [top priority] and have been waiting for two years," she added. Shelter Cymru's chief executive Ruth Power said she was aware there was confusion and worry and that people were anxious to understand what the changes meant for their place on the waiting list. She said she was particularly concerned for more vulnerable people, including those who might not have internet access or the ability to deal with their day-to-day affairs independently. "Those are people who are at a particular risk of falling through the net," she added. Ms Power said there werecurrently 94,000 households across Waleswaiting for a social home. At the current delivery rate it would take more than 35 years to clear the waiting list, she added. "This is an enduring housing emergency," she said. She called on the Welsh government to put delivering more social homes as a top priority. "Put simply, we're not going to end the housing emergency in Wales unless we significantly increase the pace and urgency with which we're delivering social homes." The Welsh government said social housing was a key priority, that it had invested nearly £2bn in it this Senedd term and that it had some of the highest delivery rates since records began in 2008. A spokesperson said the high numbers of people in temporary accommodation reflected the ongoing pressures in the system and the effect of the cost of living crisis. "Despite this, we continue to take a 'no-one left out' approach so that no one should be forced to sleep rough and provide support through schemes such as Help to Stay to prevent homelessness in the first instance," they said.