A MAN from Chepstow has criticised Monmouthshire County Council’s social housing priorities, branding the process as “systemic discrimination”.

The 54-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, but will be referred to in this article as John, says has contacted the council on several occasions to try to help him with a situation he says is out of his control, but now feels as though he is getting nowhere and will be forced into homelessness because he is a ‘single man’.

John who has been living in Monmouthshire for 25 years, currently resides as a joint-tenant with his soon-to-be ex-wife and 10-year-old daughter. He says he is going through a no-fault divorce, with a decree absolute expected in April, meaning his need to move to another suitable property is urgent. He says he contacted Monmouthshire County Council in October 2024 about his circumstances and the critical need to move out of the house.

As he is currently a joint tenant at his Monmouthshire Housing Association home he cannot leave the property voluntarily, as it would mean he had intentionally made himself homeless. However, even if he was forcibly made homeless, he says the housing teams would put him “at the bottom of the list”.

John said: “I was informed that even if I was homeless, due to the fact I am a man and would be single it is held against me and means I would not be given any priority.When I heard that I thought, ‘hold on a second, that’s gender discrimination.’”

The man said his divorce has been stressful for everybody involved, which has impacted his mental health - an issue exacerbated by the impending threat of homelessness. As a result, he contacted his doctor who wrote to MCC to consider this in his application for social housing.

He also contacted Peter Fox MS and Catherine Fookes MP to explain his situation and for further help. Catherine Fookes MP wrote to MCC and Monmouthshire Housing Association outlining the circumstances and a request for immediate assistance.

Catherine Fookes MP told her constituent that MCC had assured her his housing application would be considered as normal and as per the policy, but he cannot be a contract holder for two properties and therefore must relinquish his current property interests.

The MP also said: “My constituent is in a really difficult situation, and I fully understand how distressing this must be for him. My team and I have been in contact, both through email and over the phone, offering as much support as we possibly can.

“This includes writing to the relevant authorities multiple times on the constituent’s behalf, helping to push for a resolution and have shared their responses with him. I will continue to do everything I can to support him and reach a resolution as soon as possible.

“Since becoming MP in July, my team and I have helped resolve over 400 local issues for residents on matters such as access to housing, financial support, and healthcare. I urge any constituent who’s facing a similar issue to get in touch and I will do everything I can to support you.”

Peter Fox MS said: “It is always very sad and difficult when relationships breakdown and partners split. Very often this leaves one party or the other looking for alternative accommodation. We would hope people are treated equally but I understand that it may not always feel like that to some.

“My experience has shown all cases are different and can be complex. Things are not helped by a real shortage of social or affordable housing making it a very lengthy process for some to find a home. This can lead to extremely challenging situations for people where the short term situations are not good.”

Despite the circumstances, John understands the difficulty of social housing at the moment. However, he feels as though the system is unfair and opaque.

He said: “I don’t expect special treatment. I know there’s a lot of people with housing needs. The issue is since I’ve registered last year, the housing list has exploded. Who is coming on that list and who is getting priority?”

Monmouthshire County Council said the housing policy doesn’t discriminate on gender and the man’s future housing will be based on his circumstances and assessed need.

A spokesperson said: “The Housing Register prioritises housing applications according to the circumstances of the applicants. As defined by the Housing Wales Act and the council’s policy, those in housing need will be prioritised as per their circumstances. The greater the identified need, the higher the priority assigned to it. However, meeting applications prioritised as being in high need still relies on accommodation becoming available.

“A homeless application to the council would be assessed under the Housing Wales Act 2014 homeless legislation. One of the tests that would be applied would be to determine whether an applicant was in Priority Need. Typically, single male adults under pensionable age do not fall into the priority need groups defined in homeless legislation. However, that would only be fully determined from a homeless application and a subsequent assessment.”

Adding: “For those single male adults under pensionable age who are assessed to be in priority need, and therefore, are owed a homeless duty, it is currently very challenging to identify single person accommodation quickly in Monmouthshire.

“Where households are owed a homeless duty, the council has a duty to provide temporary accommodation until permanent accommodation can be identified. At present, there is a significant lack of both one-bedroom social housing and affordable private rented housing. The wait for homeless single people in Monmouthshire at present, therefore, is lengthy.”

Any Monmouthshire resident who may need support with housing can find information via the Monmouthshire County Council website. Details about Homesearch policy and the Welsh Government’s allocation of accommodation policy can also be found online.

Residents can also seek advice and guidance about imminent homelessness, housing and other related situations by visiting their nearest Citizens Advice or by accessing the registered charity Shelter Cymru website.