§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people are on the housing waiting list of East Hampshire District Council; and what were the equivalent figures at the same time in each of the last five years. [27566]
§ Mr. Raynsford[pursuant to his reply, 10 February 1998, c.125]: Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing register/waiting list (excluding existing tenants awaiting a transfer) at 1 April each year in their annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP1) returns. The data reported by East Hampshire District Council for 1997 and the previous five years are as follows:
- 1992: 1,607
- 1993: 1,528
- 1994: 2,045
- 1995: 1.555
- 1996: 1,206
- 1997: 1,683.
Local authorities have different practices for compiling and managing their housing register/waiting lists which mean that simple comparisons between authorities can be misleading. Authorities practices may change which can also affect comparisons over time.