A TAKE-it-or-leave-it council housing policy in Waverley could be set to stay because of a shortage of properties to rent.

Choice of council housing has been branded as an "illusion" by councillors, who described proposals to give people more involvement in the allocation process as "unrealistic".

Members of the community overview and scrutiny committee, who met on Tuesday, felt there simply weren't enough houses available to provide much of a choice.

Under the current system, the choice is left to officers working from shortlists, without first asking people whether they would be interested in a particular property.

A report sets out new ideas including advertising vacant properties with a list of criteria for potential tenants.

Chairman Mike Downes said it would be a wholly new approach to providing housing in the borough.

"The choice is illusory," he continued, "if people don't take up the choice they are offered, there may not be another one."

Marie King-Hele believed it was a very attractive policy, but said: "It could create a great deal of anxiety among people who just want a home and aren't going to be fussy about the details."

Jacquie Keen was very concerned. "It's a very good idea if you can let people have the choice, but many councillors will have had phone calls from tenants desperate for any home, and we just haven't got the homes to give them."

"We need to encourage people living in accommodation too big for them, such as families where the children have left home, to move into smaller homes," believed Pieter Betlem.

Peg Denningberg said: "The only thing I agree with is that we need a new allocation process - at the moment it's dreadful."

Head of housing David January accepted that the existing system of housing allocation has its down side.

"I was initially quite sceptical about choice-based lettings, but I've seen it work in other boroughs similar to Waverley."

Mr January said that members did not have to adopt the new scheme, just give it more thought. "I don't think we should just simply discount it," he said.

Deputy head of housing John Swanton said that, under the existing system, there were up to 500 people who had accepted a property because they didn't want to be punished for turning one down, but then immediately put themselves on the transfer list.

"We need to start treating people as customers," he said. "We can tell people what their choices are and help them to make an informed decision."