MORE than 1,000 people are in the queue for a council house in Herefordshire.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that as of December 31 last year there were 1,067 people on the waiting list in the county.

The figures aren't broken down by location and it is not known how long those people have been waiting as the housing register was changed following a renewal of Herefordshire Council's allocations policy in July 2014.

But of those 1,067 people, 539 people were considered to be facing homelessness and in the 'green band'.

A further 411 were in the council's amber band – people placed in temporary accommodation by the local authority while they sought permanent accommodation.

And another 117 were in the red band – those who have a history of rent arrears or anti social behaviour with a previous landlord.

But these figures could be the tip of the iceberg, as Herefordshire Council concedes that only applicants with a 'proven' housing need are eligible to register on the waiting list.

In a statement, the authority said: "The council’s allocation policy was reviewed in 2014 and only applicants with a ‘proven’ housing need are eligible to register on the waiting list, which has assisted those in housing need to secure housing from registered social landlords.

"The numbers of those requiring housing outstrips the number of those on the waiting list, but to alleviate this, the council has in place a number of schemes to financially assist applicants into private rented accommodation, which also gives people a better choice and control over where they choose to live."

Herefordshire Council does not own its own social housing stock, as this was transferred to Herefordshire Housing Ltd in 2002 – which is now the largest provider of social housing in the county.

The council said it works in partnership with the registered providers of social housing in the county through Home Point Herefordshire, which holds the waiting list for those requiring social housing in Herefordshire.