HUNDREDS of people on the council house waiting list in East Lothian are to have ‘overcrowding’ points removed from their records after a review of the current system.

East Lothian Council has said that single parents and couples who might have been awarded the additional points in the past might have them removed as they reassess applications.

A report on the move says as many as 300 housing applications will be affected by the change, which the council insists is ensuring its policy is fair.

A review found the automated system being used to allocate the extra points did not distinguish between circumstances; it concluded people who were not physically overcrowded were wrongly being given additional points when applying for a bigger home.

The review said that couples who wanted to move from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom property should not be described as overcrowded and it ruled out single parents living in one-bedroom properties from demanding an extra bedroom for their child.

A report on the review of overcrowding points estimates that about 900 housing applications would be reassessed and says up to one-third might no longer be granted the points.

It added: “Those who are found to be directly affected will be sent an explanatory letter and given the option to discuss their application and housing options with housing staff.”

A spokesperson for the council said: “There has been no change in our housing allocations policy; we are in effect only giving overcrowding points to those households that are, by legal definition, physically overcrowded.

“People that need an extra bedroom because of care can still apply and be accepted for a larger property through our Health and Housing framework.

“Applicants in a one-bedroom home that have access to a child can apply for a two-bedroom property but would not receive overcrowding points.”