council housing problem

[kryptic]

Not sure if this is the right catagory but dont know where else to put it.
A friend of mine lives in a two bedroom family council house. It has a drive and a large, private garden on a modern estate (strangers to the area actually think that its a private estate) Its a property that can house a family of 4... a couple and 2 kids. My mate is single and has been trying to 'downgrade' to a smaller property (a flat) since his son left home 15 months ago. Despite the fact that there is a serious shortage of family homes the council still havnt rehoused him in a flat which would be the sensible thing to do in order to vacate a family home. He has applied on a weekly basis for flats that have become empty but has been turned down. He has comlained to the council, pointing out that it is ridiculous to keep a singe man in a family home when there is a serious shortage of such properties but has just recieved the usual waffle that can be expected from bureaucratic pen pushers.
He sees it as been unfair to stay in a home that could be put to better use by a family
what should his next move be?
Many thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

[bednobs]

I really don't get this. If it's so unsuitable that he wants to go to his MP/papers then what's up with looking? In my experience (ok so not huge) quite a few landlords DO take HB because it's more "guaranteed"
It seems he wants it both ways - wants the security of being a council tennant, but wants to bitch and moan about what they have provided him, and isn't happy unless he has exactly what he wants exactly where he wants it!
I know i sound bitter, and i don't mean to be but he really sounds moany :)

[kryptic]

the problem isnt that his present home is unsuitable, its the fact we have a lot of homeless families and he has a family home that he cant GIVE away to the council.
no ones bitchin and moaning.

[kryptic]

// I just checked with my parents who are council tennants and a 2 bedroom house in their area of London does not count as a family home. //
Well it does where I live.

[pink-kittens]

just had a thought, how about he advertises in his local newsagent/supermarket/gumtree web site? All are relatively cheap (think Gumtree is free)

[bushbaby_de]

I used to work inthe housing department of a Council which, although it had a severe shortage, was awash with two bed houses so it didn't give single occupiers 'underoccupier' points to move them higher up the list, but it did if they were in a three bed house. If your Council does the same, it means he is competing with a lot of other single people without much extra priority. Single properties can be trickier for lots of reasons - lots of people on the homelessness or priority list, people wanting to transfer from their first flat that they don't like to one that they do after years of waiting, blocks that need a certain profile tenant due to the nature of other tenants in the block... etc. If he wants an honest answer of why he isn't getting anywhere he should call the Housing team and ask them - they can give him an idea of how far sown the shortlists he's been coming and so on.