Sheffield housing: Gallery shows the 16 areas of Sheffield with the most overcrowded homes

They are among over a million households across England and Wales with fewer bedrooms than they need, according to figures from the most recent census, and the national figure is barely changed from the previous census a decade before.

Overcrowded homes are those with fewer bedrooms than needed for the number of occupants. Anyone over 16 or single parents are expected to need their own bedroom. Couples living together, pairs of children under 10 or same-sex pairs of children under 16 are assumed to be able to share a room.

In Sheffield, a total of 8,825 were overcrowded at the time of the 2021 census, representing 3.8 per cent of all homes in the city.

The last Census in 2011 found almost five per cent of households in the city were overcrowded, having at least one bedroom fewer than the family needed.

In 2021, Coun Kaltum Rivers raised concerns at a Sheffield Council meeting, asking: “Overcrowding was one of the elements of inequality that contributed to members of the BAME communities being affected by Covid. What plans does the council have to address this issue?”

Coun Paul Wood, who was cabinet member for housing, said the council would investigate any reports, work with families and landlords to address it and take statutory enforcement action where necessary.

“The levels of overcrowding are driven by a lack of affordability, and in some cases, limited availability of larger properties,” he said.

Last year Sheffield Council was looking at plans for the locations of 35,700 new homes.

Across England, nearly one in 20 (4.4 per cent) had fewer bedrooms than they needed for the number of occupants, the figures released by the Office for National Statistics show.

About 170,000 homes were very overcrowded, with at least two fewer bedrooms than they needed.

The situation was better in Wales, with 2.2 per cent of homes having fewer bedrooms than they needed.

Around 30,000 households were overcrowded and about 3,500 of these were very overcrowded with at least two fewer bedrooms than they needed.

Here are the neighbourhoods of Sheffield with the highest proportion of overcrowded homes.