Statistics revealing hundreds of people stuck in inadequate accommodation are very “misleading”, according to Daventry District Council

A spokesman for Daventry District Council said: “The system we use for recording housing statistics does not allow us to provide a breakdown of how many households fall into the category of ‘People occupying insanitary or overcrowded housing or otherwise living in unsatisfactory housing conditions’.

“Therefore the figure of 810 recorded in the statistics is actually the number of households on the housing waiting list who have been assessed as having a reasonable preference for a move. That number has since fallen to 692.

“There will be a range of reasons why households fall into these categories, including those who are homeless, or who need to move on medical or welfare grounds or to avoid hardship. We are not aware of any insanitary households within that number, while many homes might only fall into the ‘overcrowded’ category because an additional bedroom need has been identified, to allow siblings to have separate rooms for instance. It certainly does not mean they are cramped or unhygienic.”