Agenda item

The Director of Independent Living and Housing Choices Manager presented a report and powerpoint presentation on the proposed Local Lettings Policy for the new build Council Housing which the Authority had successfully attained funding for.  There would be a total of 127 properties built - 36 at Wood Street/School Street, Thrybergh, 29 at Albert Road, Kilnhurst, 8 at Newlands Avenue, Maltby and 4 at Stone Park Close, Maltby. 

All the new homes would meet high quality design standards and Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Housing resulting in a quality residential social housing offer.  It was important to ensure that all of the schemes were looked after by the new tenants, compliance with the Tenancy Agreement and that the estate(s) did not suffer from anti-social behaviour.  It was proposed that any prospective tenant must comply with the Local Letting Policy detailed in Appendix 1 of the report submitted.

The proposed local lettings would be closely monitored and reviewed in 6 months following the date of the first lettings.  All of the 127 properties would be advertised in accordance with the normal advertising quotas.  All properties would only be offered to existing Council tenant transfer applicants who had held a Council tenancy in Rotherham for the past 2 years and who had a clear rent account and no housing management issues.  The approach would be:-

-        All properties initially offered to Priority Plus applicants and then 50% to the Priority Group, 30% to the General Plus Group and 20% to the General Group

-        Approximately 10% of the total (13 properties) would be let only to tenants in employment

-        The following types of households would be excluded from applying:-

Housing Association tenants

Private rented tenants

People who were statutory homeless

Home owners

Applicants on the Housing Register living with friends or relatives

Due it being a major change to the current Housing Allocation Policy, wide consultation was taking place and would be completed by 5^th November, 2010.  The outcomes would be fed back to the Cabinet Member on 29^th November, 2010.

So far the consultation had revealed concern with regard to the management of the properties and the need for additional support and management as well as careful allocation of new tenants.

The Panel’s comments were sought on the proposed Policy.

The following comments were made:-

-              Local connection, family support, move for work purposes etc. should be added to the criteria for applicants

-              Could the 10% employment condition be seen as discriminatory against those who had retired?

-              Consideration be given to families with young children who had disabilities so the properties could be built with the necessary adaptations or be adapted more easily due to their newness

-              Important that the new properties should not stand empty and have  tenants from day 1

-              Could 10% of the properties be for key workers only?

-              Would the former Maltby Tarren tenants be given priority for the Maltby properties?

-              How would the empty Council properties be allocated when a tenant moved into a new build property?  Housing Association and private rented tenants who were in such accommodation due to there being no Council properties available, would be excluded from the new build

Resolved:-  That the comments above be fed into the consultation exercise.