ONLY 10 per cent of people on Bournemouth's housing register can expect to receive council housing.

Borough councillors on the communities scrutiny panel will consider a report on the council's homelessness strategy at a meeting on October 2.

The report states that the town has seen a continual increase in the number of homeless people and rough sleepers, however it states: "Ninety percent of those on the housing register will never be rehoused in council housing stock due to the lack of supply."

The report by Caroline Roundhill, housing strategy and policy manager, says: "There is a disproportionate number of people approaching the council to enquire about social housing, and subsequently making applications for social housing.

"This is largely because of the lack of other affordable housing in the borough."

On the shortage of council housing it says: "Managing customers’ expectations around this is an ongoing challenge."

The council says its rough sleeper count increased by 23 per cent from 39 in 2016 to 48 in 2017, above the national increase of 15 per cent.

And over the 2017/18 financial year 8,938 people approached the council's housing team for advice or register enquiries, compared with 8,069 the previous year.

The number of assessed applications dropped from 621 to 568 over this period, although the number of applications accepted rose from 290 to 356, which the report says reflects "an increase in complexity of support needs, particularly relating to single homeless cases".

The council received a £388,000 grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government this summer, part of a £30 million national fund.

If the ministry considers the money has been used effectively, the borough is earmarked to receive a further £349k for 2019/20.

The council will use the cash to "increase capacity" among the rough sleeper team delivered by charity St Mungo's, and also to boost the Housing First support scheme for "the most complex rough sleepers".

The cash will also support "an additional psychological specialist" from Dorset HealthCare to work with homeless people, and a rough sleeper landlord liaison to help them get into the private rental sector.