Thousands of people on Wiltshire Council’s housing waiting list will have woken up on Tuesday December 9 to find that they have been dropped from the housing list.

Most of these will been on the so- called ‘bronze’ banding. 

Half of those in the ‘silver’, more urgent, category will also have found that they are no longer registered.

Those who remain on the waiting list on the more urgent housing grades, including the residue of silver, gold, gold plus and platinum, will be reallocated in one of the new 1, 2, 3 or 4-band categories, but only if they reapply within eight weeks. 

It is highly likely that many of these people will not be aware that they must reapply, will find themselves no longer on the list and will have to start their applications from ground zero.

Among those people facing being knocked off, are those trying to escape the bedroom tax by downsizing. 

Some will be suffering from depression or unable to understand what is being asked of them.  

Also suffering are people who are trying to get on the housing list for the first time, including those who are being evicted from private tenancies, because of the delay while the new system is set up. The last thing we want to see at Christmas time in Wiltshire is an increase in homelessness.

Wiltshire’s  council did a very poor job of alerting businesses to the impact of the bridge closures for the rail electrification programme. 

It is vital that people on the housing waiting list understand what is happening and what they need to do. Wiltshire Council must make sure this happens. 

It is also remarkable that they have decided to make this change at this time of year. 

Dr Brian Mathew,
Prospective Liberal Democrat MP for North Wiltshire.