Issue - meetings

To consider the proposed changes to the Cheshire Homechoice Housing Allocations Policy and offer comments as part of the review process.

The Committee received a report from the Strategic Housing Manager on the Cheshire Homechoice Common Allocations Policy Review. The report provided an update on the proposed changes to the Policy. The revised policy was currently going through a 12 week period of consultation.

A review had been started in June 2011. The policy had been working well for the first 12 months however there were some areas of the policy that needed improving or reviewing in the light of lessons learnt and proposed changes in the Localism Bill which became the Localism Act 2011 in November.

In relation to priority it was proposed to change from a star awarded system to a banding assessment based on housing need. Housing need would be the determining factor and those with multiple issues would no longer be assessed on a cumulative basis but their single most important need in relation to a need for re-housing. All current housing register applicants would be reassessed under the new “need” assessment.

The Housing register would be open to all households with a housing related issue however some would be ineligible due to immigration status, those with serious rent arrears or committed acts of serious antisocial behaviour.

Households with no connection to an area would be given the lowest priority and local authorities did not have a responsibility to households from outside of their borough. If a person or household had lived in the area 3 out of the last 5 years or 6 out of the last 12 months or has immediate family residing in a parish for 5 years they would quality to have a local connection to an area. Housing in rural parishes would only be granted to households with a community connection and would be kept unavailable to those with out a community connection.

RESOLVED – That the Committee endorse the changes to the policy.