Issue - meetings

Report of Head of Regeneration and Housing

Purpose of report

To approve revisions to the Councils Allocation Scheme (as approved in November 2012)

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

 1.1        To accept the revisions to the Housing Allocations Scheme.

Resolved

(1)          That the revisions to the Housing Allocations Scheme be accepted, subject to the following amendment: Keyworker definitions – amend fourth bullet to read “a teacher working in one of the district’s state maintained schools”.

(2)          That it be noted the scheme would be amended to reflect The Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Right to Move) (England) Regulations 2015 which came into force on 20 April 2015.

(3)          That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee be recommended to undertake a review of the council’s policy on rural exception sites.   

The Head of Regeneration and Housing submitted a report which sought approval of revisions to the Council’s Allocation Scheme (as approved in November 2012).

In introducing the report, the Lead Member for Housing explained that The Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Right to Move) (England) Regulations 2015 came into force on 20 April 2015 and the Scheme would be amended to reflect the Regulations.

At the discretion of the Chairman, Councillor Kerford-Byrnes addressed the Executive.

Resolved

(1)          That the revisions to the Housing Allocations Scheme be accepted, subject to the following amendment: Keyworker definitions – amend fourth bullet to read “a teacher working in one of the district’s state maintained schools”.

(2)          That it be noted the scheme would be amended to reflect The Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Right to Move) (England) Regulations 2015 which came into force on 20 April 2015.

(3)          That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee be recommended to undertake a review of the council’s policy on rural exception sites.  

Reasons

In November, 2012, the Council implemented a new and innovative Allocation Scheme taking account of the changes to legislation, namely the Localism Act 2011 and the new Allocation of Accommodation Code of Guidance developed as a consequence of that. The new scheme met all of the Council’s strategic priorities within its Housing Strategy 2012-17.

As agreed when the Allocation Scheme was approved the Council has reviewed the current Scheme to ensure that it meets not only the needs of the most vulnerable within the District but also the supply of accommodation that is coming available to ensure that we meet our nomination requirements, namely the percentage of void stock that registered providers have to give to the Council to let each year.

The Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Right to Move) (England) Regulations 2015 are made by the Secretary of State under section 160ZA(8)(b) and 172(4) of the Housing Act 1996, under which the Secretary of State has the power to set out in regulations criteria which local housing authorities may not use to decide what classes of persons are not qualifying persons for an allocation of housing accommodation. The Regulations came into force on 20 April 2015.

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee is recommended to undertake a review of rural exception sites to consider any disconnect between planning policy and the Allocations Policy.

Alternative options

Option 1: Not to accept any revisions to Cherwell’s Allocation Scheme 2012