Home repossessions surge by nearly 50pc

The number of people who lost their homes in parts of the West Midlands soared by almost 50 per cent during the recession, latest figures have revealed.

Repossessions went up by more than 3,000 in the space of 12 months.

In Wolverhampton alone they rose from 683 to 958 over the same period. A total of 448 repossessions were defended in court with help from the city's Citizens Advice Bureau in 2009. The CAB has an officer who attends court hearings who helped 108 people to remain in their own homes.

Wolverhampton is one of 56 places in the country identified for repossession assistance from the Government.

Last year the council had to rehome 442 households.

Cabinet member for adults and services, Councillor Les Pugh, said: "The latest figures are worrying because it shows that people are losing their homes through no fault of their own but because of losing their jobs. We do our very best to make sure people are re-housed if they need it.

"The CAB has also been doing some excellent work but these latest figures are a reminder of just how many people this recession has affected."

Alex Watts, housing case worker for the CAB at Snow Hill, said: "We have an officer in court every weekday to help represent people and we are able to help a lot of people with arranging to pay interest only on their mortgages so they can stay in their homes."

The number of people Walsall Council helped prior to court action rose from 135 to 316 while 178 cases of homelessness were prevented, compared to 82 the previous year.

In South Staffordshire 450 people were interviewed by the council's housing options team between April and November 2009, a rise on the 333 in the same period the previous year.

Cannock Chase Council had 38 households seek help due to mortgage repossession in 2008/09. So far this financial year there have been 14 approaches due to mortgage repossessions.

Dudley Council was approached by 236 people with mortgage arrears in 2008/09 but has seen a drop to 116 this year. Sandwell Homes received 212 inquiries relating to mortgage arrears between April and December 2009, compared to 129 the year before.