Social and Affordable Homes Aldershot 2026-01-12
2026-01-12
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Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
A veteran in Aldershot has been waiting nearly three years for a four-bedroom social home, with an additional potential wait of up to three more years. Last year, over 100 families were on the waiting list for four-bedroom social homes but only 31 received them.
A veteran in my constituency who is the father of five young daughters has spent nearly three years waiting for a four-bedroom social home while raising his family in a two-bedroom property. He has now been told that the wait could be a further three years, which means six years of overcrowding for a family simply needing space to live and grow. Sadly, that is not an isolated case. Last year in my constituency, over 100 families were waiting for a four-bedroom social home, but only 31 were allocated one. I welcome the Government’s commitment to building more social homes, but what are they doing to make social housing more flexible so families are not left waiting for years for the right home at the right time?
I am sorry to hear about the long wait that the veteran in question is facing. It is important that we build more social rented homes after 14 years of engineered decline, which is why 60% of our £39 billion social and affordable homes programme will be allocated to social rented homes. However, it is also important we ensure that veterans get the priority they need, which is why in November 2024 we made changes to the local connection requirement to ensure that veterans have greater access to social housing and should be prioritised in the way that that allows.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not address how social housing will become more flexible for large families waiting on long-term waitlists.
Response accuracy