Birmingham Local Conservatives have announced a new policy proposal to increase the minimum period of local connection required to qualify for social housing in Birmingham to 10 years.
The proposal is designed to ensure that scarce council housing is prioritised for long-standing Birmingham residents, families, key workers, veterans and vulnerable individuals to whom the Council owes a clear legal and moral duty of care.
With over 23,000 residents currently on the housing waiting list, more than 4,500 households with children in temporary accommodation, and fewer than one in three council homes meeting the Decent Homes Standard, Birmingham faces one of the most acute housing crises in the country.
This new policy builds on that principle: strengthening the local connection requirement so that Birmingham’s limited housing resources are focused on those who have already contributed to, and put down roots in, the city.
Under the proposal:
· Applicants would need to demonstrate at least 10 years of continuous connection with Birmingham before qualifying for access to the housing register, subject to appropriate statutory exemptions.
· Priority would be reinforced for existing Birmingham residents in housing need.
· The Council would take a firmer stance against policies that risk creating a “pull factor” toward already overstretched housing stock.
· Exemptions to the rule for victims of domestic violence and veterans of our armed forces would be in place as well.
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition & Birmingham Local Conservatives, said:
Birmingham is a generous city, but it is not an inexhaustible one. When over 23,000 local people are waiting for a home, when thousands of children are growing up in temporary accommodation, and when our council housing stock is already under strain, our first responsibility must be to those who call Birmingham home.
This policy is about fairness, responsibility and community. If you have lived here, worked here, raised your family here and contributed to our city, you should know that Birmingham will stand by you in your time of need. That is the essence of how the Local Conservatives will govern should we win control of Birmingham City Council in May’s local elections, by supporting strong communities built on mutual obligation.
Cllr Bruce Lines (Con, Bartley Green), Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing & Homelessness, added:
We owe a duty of care to Birmingham residents. At present, demand for social housing massively outstrips supply. It is simply not sustainable to maintain a system that risks encouraging further pressure on a stock that is already stretched beyond breaking point.
By strengthening the local connection requirement to ten years, we can help ensure that council housing goes first to those with a clear and longstanding connection to our city. This is about protecting neighbourhoods, supporting local families, and restoring confidence that the system is fair, something only the Local Conservatives are offering the City.
This proposal is based on a simple principle: clear rules that apply equally and consistently to all, and local services & institutions must work first for the benefit of those local people with a stake in the City.
“Birmingham cannot solve the world’s problems on its own,” Cllr Alden added:
But we can ensure that Birmingham City Council meets its obligations to Birmingham residents first. Only the Local Conservatives have a plan to end the strike, balance the books, and clean up the City.
