A mother who has waited 13 years for a council house has said she may be forced to move to a caravan after she was struck off the waiting list.

Lisa Morris received a letter from Epping Forest District Council telling her that a rule change meant she had lost her place because she is not homeless, has no medical conditions and is not living in overcrowded or dirty housing.

The 42-year-old has found herself in debt renting an £850-a-month two-bedroom flat for her and her 14-year-old son in High Road, Loughton, which she expected to repay once she secured a place.

She said: “I’m going to have to come out of my flat because I’m in debt up to my eyeballs.

“If it comes to it, me and my son will have to live in a caravan in front of the council’s offices.”

The mother-of-one works part-time as a catering assistant, and said she would like to work more hours, but that even if she worked full-time she would still be worse off because her housing benefit would be cut.

She added: “I’m sure a lot of single parents who are on the list will be in the same situation.
“I feel they’ve kept me on it under false pretences.”

She was on a waiting list in Chelmsford, where she used to live, for 11 years, before moving to Epping Forest, where she has been on the waiting list for two years.

Her letter states that as she is in Band 6 on the council’s waiting list, behind people who are overcrowded or homeless, she will lose her place, although she has been given 21 days to appeal.