Shock as 8,000 on list competing for limited council housing in Derby as crisis deepens

More than 8,000 people are currently on the waiting list for a council house in Derby as a new report lays bare the crisis in the city.

The huge number is comparable to neighbouring local authorities in Nottingham (9,000) and Leicester (6,500). 

But Derby City Council’s cabinet member for housing says the authority is still facing “significant challenges” in meeting housing demand. And a new report shows the huge scale of it.

The report, published by Derby Homes – the city council’s social housing company – shows alarming statistics on how thousands have bid for a relatively small number of properties available for re-let during an eight-month period.

Firstly, people applying for a council home in Derby need to meet basic criteria, which may not always seem straightforward. Some of these criteria include: 

• Being 18 years and over, or a care leaver
• Having an identified housing need 
• Having a local connection (this itself has its own criteria) 
• Not owning their own home, except those people over 60, who are eligible for supported housing
• Have less than £75,000 in savings, including stocks and shares.

Those who successfully apply are then welcome to make bids for properties when they become available for re-let by Derby Homes. These are advertised on its Homefinder website. 

The report says almost 30,000 bids were made for between 200 and 300 advertised properties between April and December 2024. During that time, 297 adverts were placed on the Homefinder website (some properties may have been advertised more than once). 

It states there were an average of 98 direct bids per advert between that period. A property is advertised for six days only, according to the council’s website, so those interested need to act quickly.

And the process is further complicated by the fact that people can only bid for a property if it matches their “needs band”. When people apply to be on the register they are placed in a band based on their requirements. 

The three bands are Corporate, Priority and General. In summary, the Corporate band includes care leavers and those who have severe medical conditions. Applicants in the Priority band include homeless people and those living in overcrowded conditions – this is the band with the most applicants. 

The General band is for those living in homes with a bedroom spare and want to move to a smaller property and an applicant who needs to move to take up or remain in employment, education or a training opportunity.   

The average number of bids per property is greater for three-bedroom properties. But there were only 42 adverts released for this size of house in that eight-month period. 

Councillor Shiraz Khan, Derby City Council cabinet member for housing, said: “Like local authorities across the country, we face significant challenges in meeting housing demand. 

“We are taking every opportunity to maximise our stock of affordable housing. This includes building new homes and acquiring and remodelling existing properties, such as the Abbey Lodge redevelopment. We are also working with the owners of empty properties to bring them back into use, increasing the overall housing supply in the city.

“The council acknowledges that it cannot meet the demand for housing alone. Therefore, we will continue to encourage the private rented sector and collaborate closely with registered providers to increase the availability of high-quality housing in Derby.”