On 1 April 1997 local authorities owned 4.39 million homes but
as a result of Right to Buy sales, large scale voluntary transfer
of stock to Private Registered Providers (housing associations) and
demolitions, the stock of council housing has now fallen to less
than 1.6 million homes.
The latest local authority housing statistics for England
published by MHCLG for the year ending March 2018 show that local
authorities owned 1.59 million homes on 1 April 2018 - a decrease
of 0.6% on the previous year. Of these 1.59 million homes, 98.9%
were let at social rent and 1.1% at affordable rents of up to 80%
of local market rents.
The average local authority social rent in 2017-18 was £86.58
per week - a decrease of 1% in line with the mandatory social rent
reductions required by the Welfare Reform & Work Act 2016.
There were 1.11 million households on local authority housing
waiting lists on 1 April 2018 - a decrease of 4% on the previous
year council waiting lists and landlords made 108,300 lettings
during the year - again a decrease of 4% on the previous year.
As at 1 April 2018 there were 70,300 "non-decent" local
authority owned dwellings across England (not including cases where
tenants have refused improvement works). This represents a decrease
of 11% from the previous year and a 91% decrease from 2016 when the
Decent Homes Standard was updated.
In 2017-18 councils carried out 5,500 evictions - a decrease of
6% on the previous year.
Read the full statistical release