A NEW system for allocating social housing by advertising properties across the county will replace the waiting list.

The plans would see the waiting list system in the district scrapped to use a new central government system where people can apply for available houses.

Housing association properties that become available each week across the county will be advertised on the internet and in various other places, such as town and parish council offices.

Registered people will be put into bands depending on priority and can then apply for the houses.

Hayley Palmer, who lives in a one-bedroom housing association flat with her partner and two children, said she did not think the change would make any difference to the "terrible" housing situation.

Hayley, whose plight was featured in the Gazette two weeks ago, has been living in a one-bedroom flat in Cam for nearly four years and is desperate to find a larger property for her partner Phillip Beard and her two daughters aged 19 months and three years.

She said: "This could work for us or might penalise us. We will be competing with people from Gloucester and Cheltenham for properties.

"It is no good for us if a house comes up in Gloucester because we need to stay in Cam or Dursley. I go to college here and have no transport.

"It is going to be difficult for me because I haven't got time to keep checking for properties every week because I am a full-time mum and I go to college, so I won't have time to go out and check all the time."

She added: "Homeless people will still get priority over us so if a three bedroom house comes up the council will put the single homeless person in there instead of us."

Cllr Hilary Fowles, district councillor for Dursley, also raised concerns about the new system.

She said: "This new system is not going to provide a single new house so my concerns about affordable housing remain the same. However, it will make the system more transparent.

"People always think the council are being difficult but with the new system they will be able to see for themselves what is available and that in fact there are only a few houses that become available a week in the district. So it will make people see things more realistically."