Member

Council housing was to be part of the welfare state—a universal service. In hospital you would be in a mixed community; likewise on a local authority estate. I can remember the time when a young couple would put their name down on the waiting list and within a reasonable time they would get a council house. Not so today. Even in 2015, when I was an MP for a rural constituency, you had to be in real difficulty to get a council tenancy. A young married couple sharing with their in-laws would not get the points required to be anywhere near the head of the queue. It has now become a safety net. Just look at the guidance issued by this Government on 10 July 2025: