Acute shortages of large social housing suitable for families mean clearing waiting lists in Blackburn with Darwen would take more than 10 and a half years.
The borough topped the UK average by three years, with current social housing stocks across the country being dubbed by charities as “a national scandal”.
Between 2014/15 and 2023/24, the number of families waiting for a council house with three or more bedrooms increased by 36.6 per cent, while the total number of households on waiting lists grew by 5.9 per cent.
The data was compiled by taking the number of three-bedroom homes at a local authority level and the annual rate of lettings, and finding a sum of how many years it would take to clear this list.
Current projects in the borough are looking to tackle the issue with plans to build on the Griffin site in Mill Hill and Moorgate getting back underway after stalling during COVID-19.
Elsewhere, social housing provider Together Housing submitted plans for 152 houses at a new Whitebirk Park estate.
Councillor Damian Talbot, Executive Member of Housing and Health, commented: “Meeting the shortage of affordable housing has been identified as a major priority by the Government, and the Council is committed to providing a full range of housing to meet the borough’s housing requirements, which includes ensuring that suitable housing is available for people on low incomes.
“A specific aim in the borough’s Local Plan is a requirement for developers of new housing to make provision for an element of affordable housing. Working with a range of registered housing providers, the Council is ensuring that new affordable housing units are being provided, including social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, which is for eligible households whose needs are not met by the market.
“Our Local Plan Policy CP4 requires all major housing developments to provide at least 20% affordable homes (either within the site or via a contribution towards off-site provision within the borough), which is the proportionate need identified within the Council’s Housing and Economic Needs Assessment (2021).
"Between April 2017 and March 2024, 3,196 new homes were completed, of which 21% were affordable – exceeding the government’s benchmark – and we will continue to work with providers and developers to deliver these much-needed new homes.
“Nationally, we have faced more than a decade of under-investment in social housing.
"This, combined with the loss of social housing stock over recent decades as a result of the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes has in turn, led to some places experiencing significant increases in local housing waiting lists.
“The national housing crisis has been many years in the making and is not an issue that can be solved overnight.
"However, a number of recent schemes in Blackburn with Darwen, including that in the Stansfeld Street area, developments in Shadsworth and in Higher Croft, as well as the recently announced second phase of Griffin, show the efforts that the Council is going to in working with social housing providers.
"We are not a housing authority with our own council house stock and have not been since 2001.””
The data has been published by the National Housing Federation (NHF), Crisis and Shelter, as they warn the government of a critical need to boost investment in social housing in the upcoming spending review.
NHF chief executive Kate Henderson said: “The fact that families in so many parts of the country face waiting lists for an affordable home longer than their children’s entire childhood is a national scandal.
“Security, stability and the space to learn and play is vital for a child’s development, yet we are allowing hundreds of thousands of children to grow up in damaging temporary homes, in cramped and poor-quality conditions and with little privacy.
"This is no way for a child to grow up, and these children deserve better.”
Elsewhere in East Lancashire, in Pendle it would take 9.9 years to clear its waiting list, and Hyndburn will have enough homes in 8.5 years.
Burnley (7.4 years), Rossendale (6.8 years) and the Ribble Valley (6.6 years) all fell below the national average wait of 7.8 years, but still face lengthy backlogs.
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Last month, Rachel Reeves announced £2 billion in grant funding to deliver 18,000 new homes, described as a “down payment” ahead of longer-term investment in social and affordable housing.
The Government said it expects at least half of the 18,000 would be social homes, as charities urged the “vast majority” should be for social rent.
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “The findings of this report highlight the scale and devastating impact of the social housing crisis we’ve inherited.
“We’re taking urgent action to fix this through our Plan for Change, injecting £2 billion to help deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, investing in homelessness services, and bringing forward overdue reforms to the Right to Buy scheme that will protect the stock of existing social housing.”
Blackburn with Darwen Council has been contacted for comment.
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