ONLY people who have lived in Hounslow for at least five years will be entitled to a council home.
The requirement is part of a raft of restrictions, designed to address the council’s huge housing waiting list, which were approved at Monday’s cabinet meeting.
From July, anybody applying for a council home must have lived in the borough for at least five out of the past seven years.
The number of priority ‘bands’ for applicants will also be cut, from four to three, to eliminate those without a ‘realistic chance’ of being housed. It is estimated this will reduce the waiting list, which stands at more than 13,000 and counting, by up to 9,000.
Those removed from the waiting list will be given support to exchange their properties or find private accommodation.
Other changes include giving priority to members of the armed forces, giving priority to working households with a total annual income of less than £26,000 and evicting council housing tenants who are involved in serious antisocial behaviour
Councillor Steve Curran, Hounslow Council’s cabinet member for housing and education, said: "The changes we have made allow us to give priority to local people who need housing the most."
