Agenda item

The Director of Housing and Neighbourhood Services submitted proposed revisions to the Allocations Policy to take into account the new flexibilities and opportunities offered to social housing landlords by the Localism Act 2011 and to make the system as fair as possible.  The Policy also needed to be reviewed due to the size of the Housing Register and the likelihood of it increasing if no action was taken.

The proposed revisions had been considered by the Improving Places Select Commission, all Members Seminar, various stakeholders, applicants and staff.  The consultation period had spanned over 1 year with the 3 key messages received being:-

-          Council houses should be for people in housing need

-          Rotherham Council homes should be for local people

-          Council tenants with breaches in their tenancy should not be given another Council home

Full details of the proposed changes were set out in the report submitted but included:-

-          Operate a Local Connection Criteria

·           A person will qualify to go on the Housing Register if they have a local connection to Rotherham for a minimum of 3 years

·           Operate a wider qualifying criteria

·           Create a Transfer Register by moving the applications from Council tenants with no tenancy breaches in the last 2 years from the current General Group into a Transfer Register

·           Create a Register of Housing Need with 3 groups

-          Make changes to the advertised quota

-          Amendments to the Register of Housing Need categories

·           Review applications with rent arrears and cumulative debt in accordance with the Council’s Rent Policy

·           Changes to Policy and procedures in order to more effectively manage the Housing Register and encourage behaviour change

·           Cancellation of application following 2 refusals

·           Cancellation of application once applicant had agreed to major adaptation work that met their long term needs

·           Unable to re-enter the Housing Register for 24 months, unless their circumstances changed, once an application had been cancelled

·           Those accepted as statutory homeless who refused 1 suitable private sector/Council/RSL offer, downgraded to Band Three.  On acceptance of a private rented offer, their application should be cancelled

·           Encourage all new tenants to sign a Direct Debit or Standing Order to pay their rent and the right not to offer a property to those who could not afford to take on a tenancy

If approved, the Policy would be referred to the Cabinet for adoption by full Council and implementation in June, 2014.  All applicants would receive a written explanation of the changes during March, 2014.

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised:-

-          Emphasising to members of the public the need to only bid on those properties they were seriously interested in

-          Instances where a property had been adapted for a couple but, following the death of 1 spouse, the remaining spouse was in an adapted property that was not required

-          Implementation in June/July, 2014

Resolved:-  (1)  That the amendments to the Allocation Policy, set out in the report submitted, be approved.

(2)  That the revised Allocation Policy, as set out in Appendix 2 of the report submitted, be approved.

(3)  That the report be referred to Cabinet for adoption by Council.