Published: Tuesday 25 April 2023
Our residents have shown their support for proposals on a new, fairer Housing Allocations Scheme which will offer them clarity about their position on the borough’s housing register of 3000+ applicants.
The new scheme, which will be introduced by the summer, was developed with residents to help them understand the difficulties the Council faces in allocating the housing stock available for social rent in the borough; as is the case nationally, there is enormous demand and limited local supply.
While the Council owns 7,025 homes, and a further 11,664 homes are managed by registered social providers in the borough, as an example of the shortfall between demand and supply, during 2021/22, only 409 homes became available for people on the Housing Register.
Work on the new policy began as a consultation in January 2021, with Council housing tenants helping to shape the proposals. The new scheme focuses on three major themes:
• incentivising the private rented sector as an option with points for those who choose it over temporary accommodation
• recognising those who have waited the longest by awarding new waiting points
• adopting a chain lettings approach to free up more family-sized homes for households that need them
A banding system will allow people to know exactly where they are on the waiting list and how long it is likely to take to be rehoused.
Resident input during the consultation was constructive with recurring themes being the need to ensure allocations are offered fairly, that residents have an appropriate level of choice to suit their specific circumstances regardless of their priority band and the need to prioritise those that have been waiting the longest.
As well as the new scheme being more transparent and easier to understand, it also means residents will get more points if they choose to move out of temporary accommodation and into private rented housing. This will give people more certainty and security, and they will not lose their place on the housing register. It also explicitly references residents affected by the Grenfell tragedy, which forms part of the Council’s commitment to those most impacted by the tragedy and aims to help the community heal and rebuild their lives.
You can find more information, including the full scheme details here.