Parents with shared custody could soon be able to apply for council homes in South Yorkshire town

Currently, families with children where parents have separated are not able to bid for houses if the children are only staying at the weekends or for occasional parenting stays or have 50/50 custody.

Under the change, which will be discussed by Rotherham Council’s cabinet on February 15, parents with at least 50/50 access will be eligible to apply for a council house.

The eligibility criteria to join the housing register are set by the Secretary of State but now that the UK has left the EU, new regulations for councils to tackle housing and homelessness have come into force.

The report also lays out several ways to tackle the growing problem of homelessness in the borough.

In April 2018, the council had 132 homelessness cases.

This had surged to 386 by 31 December 2020 – an increase of 192 per cent.In a bid to address this, the report proposes giving a second chance for homeless people excluded from the housing register for rent arrears or who have been evicted for breaching their tenancy, to re-join.

If the recommendations are approved by cabinet the policy will be adopted 28 days from the date of approval.