Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 181/08 of the Head of Health and Housing. 

(Time 3.10pm to 3.20pm)

The Executive received and considered report 181/08 of the Head of Health and Housing which proposed a revision the Council’s choice-based lettings scheme, which had been established in 2004.  The Government had a target for housing authorities to establish choice based letting schemes by 2010.  In 2008, Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council and South Oxfordshire District Council all implemented schemes as a means of allocating social housing. 

The Government had also actively encouraged authorities to set up sub-regional choice-based lettings schemes across their borders, and had offered funding to local authorities to progress this initiative.  Such a project had been ongoing in Oxfordshire since 2007, and was due for completion in the summer 2009.  As part of that project, the four of Oxfordshire’s five District Councils concerned had worked towards harmonising their allocations policies to ensure a common basis for applicants who qualified for housing across the districts.  The report summarised the proposed changes to the Council’s Allocations Policy in order to implement a sub-regional choice-based lettings scheme.  The report also described the common operational principles to be adopted by the four authorities. 

It was noted that 10% of the housing stock would be available for non-Vale residents moving to the district.  This would allow more choice for people to move around in the sub-region in local authority rented accommodation rather than being restricted to their own district.  There would also be a re-categorisation of the bands to remove the sixth band relating to key workers, who would be moved to a new band.  This would only have a minimal impact on others.  The large majority of residents would remain in their current band. 

Members supported the proposal to adopt an amended scheme in line with Cherwell, Oxford City and South Oxfordshire. 

R E C O M M E N D E D

(a)               that the common Allocations Policy be adopted as a means of assessing applications for social housing.  There will be five bands categorising housing need, rather than six, and for those properties allocated to the sub-regional scheme, an applicant’s local connection will be to the sub-region, so an applicant in the Vale will be deemed to have a local connection to each of the three other districts;

(b)               that 10% of all general needs housing be made available for sub-regional allocations, subject to the excluding properties with four or more bedrooms, properties in locations which rarely become available, and properties developed as part of rural exception sites.  Properties will be let on a reciprocal basis and be closely monitored to ensure that the district’s population does not increase as a result of this scheme; and

(c)               that all nominations for sheltered and disabled housing that have had substantial adaptations be made available for sub-regional allocations, but where there is a high local need for a property this can be excluded.