Local authorities in England report the number of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Where local authorities and registered social landlords operate a common register, households registered with the RSL will be included in the data. However, registered social landlords are independent bodies and can keep their own waiting lists. Information on the number of households on local authorities' waiting lists is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/144458.xls.
Copies of this table have been deposited in the Library of the House.
The number of households on local authorities' waiting lists in each London borough in 2007 is given in the following table.
Number Inner London 157,840 Camden 10,440 City of London 1,340 Hackney 8,570 Hammersmith and Fulham 8,100 Haringey 10,250 Islington 10,600 Kensington and Chelsea 10,340 Lambeth 14,500 Lewisham 19,850 Newham 24,160 Southwark 8,990 Tower Hamlets 13,980 Wandsworth 8,700 Westminster 8,020 Outer London 176,020 Barking and Dagenham 9,190 Barnet 17,910 Bexley 6,120 Brent 18,610 Bromley 4,430 Croydon 9,780 Ealing 20,650 Enfield 6,990 Greenwich 12,180 Harrow 4,970 Havering 5,480 Hillingdon 8,050 Hounslow 9,920 Kingston upon Thames 5,620 Merton 5,890 Redbridge 11,400 Richmond upon Thames 4,580 Sutton 4,120 Waltham Forest 10,170 London 333,860 Note: As reported by local authorities. Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return (HSSA)
The size of the waiting list is not an indicator of absolute need; it is only useful as a broad indicator of housing demand in an area. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house.