The Government has u-turned on the previous Conservative administration's plans to force councils to introduce mandatory ‘local connection tests' for people applying for social housing.

The test requires housing applicants to have lived in the area or have a work or family connection to the area for a period of time and –  despite 231 councils with housing responsibilities already applying such a test – Rishi Sunak's government had set out plans to mandate all 309 housing authorities to do so.