Almost 900 households are currently on the waiting list for affordable housing in West Berkshire and the council expects demand to increase as more people lose their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the last year, the number of households on West Berkshire Council’s Housing Register has risen by 30 per cent to 852.

A council report states: “There is still an expectation of a further rise in demand, if residents are affected by possible job losses due to Covid-19 and therefore have asked to join and access the Housing Register.

“In anticipation of the rise in demand, we’ve streamlined the process for applying for financial assistance.”

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The council provided emergency accommodation to 60 people during the Covid-19 pandemic and further 46 households are currently being provided with temporary accommodation.

And in the first quarter of 2020/21 it saw the number of people claiming Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance in West Berkshire rise to 1,535 (up from 1,305 the previous year).

The Conservative-run council does not own any homes, but it helps people find low-cost social housing and shared properties that are owned by housing associations.

At a meeting on September 3, the council’s Executive will be asked about the work that is being done to prevent people in West Berkshire from becoming homeless.

Councillor Tony Vickers is also planning to ask the council if many households will be at risk of homelessness when the government’s eviction ban ends.

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The government extended the ban on evictions by another four weeks on August 21.

It also announced plans to bring in a new rule that would landlords to provide tenants with six months’ notice for evictions.

Last week, a group of landlords, letting agents and charities called for the government to help renters who have fallen into rent arrears during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The group, which includes Shelter, the National Residential Landlords Association and Citizens Advice, says a £270 million package of emergency grants and interest-free loans is needed to help renters who have lost out on income since March.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “We simply cannot afford to lurch into another devastating homelessness crisis now that will ruin countless lives and undermine the country’s economic recovery.

“This one-off opportunity to provide emergency relief to those renters most in need must not be missed.”