South Kesteven resident has been waiting since 1978 for council house while South Holland person has been on the list since 2016

Some Lincolnshire residents have spent more than 40 years on council housing registers, figures have revealed.

One South Kesteven resident has been on the waiting list since 1978 – 44 years – due to their very particular requests. The longest wait in South Holland is six years.

A couple who own a three-bedroom house have also been asking the City of Lincoln Council for a property for 35 years.

Freedom of Information requests have revealed the extreme lengths that people are willing to stay on housing registers.

Properties are allocated according to need and requests.

People are required to confirm each year that they would like to stay on.

South Kesteven District Council explained that the resident who had been on for 44 years – the longest in Lincolnshire – had very specific requests.

“This individual has an application on the Housing Register specifying an extremely limited area of choice,” a spokesperson said.

City of Lincoln Council said that the homeowners who have waited longest on their register – since 1987 – are deemed to be low priority.

Yvonne Fox, Assistant Director for Housing Management at City of Lincoln Council, said: “The applicants currently own their own three-bedroomed property in North Kesteven and are seeking to move to a council property in Lincoln.

“They are eligible to be on our waiting list but are viewed as low priority as their current accommodation is suitable for their needs.”

Here is the full breakdown of the longest waits at each council:

Boston Borough Council: 2019

City of Lincoln Council: 1987

East Lindsey District Council: 2018

North Kesteven District Council: Data unavailable from before 2018

South Kesteven District Council: 1978

South Holland District Council: 2016

West Lindsey District Council: 2008