Buckinghamshire Council has said it will tighten the eligibility criteria for people waiting for social housing.

This includes increasing the amount of time that applicants must have lived in the council area from two to five years in order for them to qualify for the housing list.

Meanwhile, anyone who is over 55 and has no local connection to Buckinghamshire will be ineligible for the housing list, which is called Bucks Homes Choice.

A total of 7,047 people are currently on the list, but the council says that the rate of people joining it exceeds the rate of properties becoming available, meaning the register is growing.

Cllr Mark Winn, the council’s cabinet member homelessness and regulatory services, said the council’s housing allocation policy, which was last updated in 2022, needed to be overhauled to help reduce the overall number of people on the list.

He told a meeting on Tuesday: “Those on the list will be asked to re-register. That is often going to be a case of just clicking on a button to re-confirm their circumstances.

“For some, there will also be an opportunity that they can remove themselves from the lists if their circumstances have changed.”

Cabinet voted to approve the changes to the housing allocation policy, which will go before full council next month.

Another change to the document means that the council removes the legacy district boundaries and will allow applicants to bid in all areas across Buckinghamshire.