Brit families to ‘get priority’ on council house waiting lists under new law to ‘stop migrants jumping the queue’
BRITS are set to be prioritised for council housing under new government plans being considered by ministers.
The legislation will require councils to push UK citizens higher up waiting lists to address concerns over migration.
Currently rules mean forgeingers with indefinite leave to stay in Britain are eligible for for council housing.
And guidance recommends they should have lived locally for two years before they qualify.
But ministers now fear the rules are not strong enough - and are hoping Brits will soon be given priority.
A source told The Times: "Social housing is a finite resource so it’s only right we look at what more we can do to ensure UK nationals are prioritised locally as homes become available.
“The UK will always welcome the economic contribution of legal migrants to this country, but they shouldn’t be allowed to jump the queue for social homes.”
It comes as net migration hit a record 606,000 last year.
Official figures show 1.2million people came to the UK in 2022 but only 557,000 left.
Experts warned of crippling pressure on housing, the NHS and schools — with a city the size of Birmingham having arrived over the past two decades.
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The UK is now on course to overtake the population size of France for the first time by the middle of this decade owing to the massive influx.
One in 12 non-EU migrants is coming in via asylum-seeker routes.
Currently more than 1.2million households are waiting for social housing.
And many experts believe the new legislation will not help the situation.
Polly Neate, chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, said: “If you try to push British citizens up the priority list then others with greater need will be ignored and lose out, including homeless families with children who have every right to be here, and those fleeing war in places like Ukraine.
“What this policy amounts to is an admission of failure by the government to build enough social housing.”