Analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF) found that families wanting properties with three or more bedrooms in Westminster, Enfield and Merton would all have to wait over 100 years to get a home at current rates. The average estimate across London was much lower at 27 years, and the average across the whole of England was seven years.

Eight of the 10 local authorities in England with the longest estimated timescales to clear the backlog are in London. Waiting lists in England have been increasing over decades due to a chronic shortage of social homes.

Councils are now having to resort to more extreme measures and stricter criteria to keep their waiting lists down, such as local connection requirements, meaning the true number of households in need of social housing is likely to be much higher than the 1.33 million recorded by councils.

The government said the report highlighted the “devastating impact of the social housing crisis” and added that it was investing £2bn into social housing in England.