Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Housing

Purpose of the Report

To provide the Committee with an overview of the Cherwell District Council Housing Register and allocations process

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1       To note how the Council administers applications it receives to the Housing Register and enacts its Housing Allocations Scheme.

1.2       To note the basis for a review of the Council’s allocations and banding scheme to ensure that the scheme is working correctly in prioritising and meeting local housing needs now and in the foreseeable future. Progress on which will be reported back to the Committee.

Resolved

(1)      That how the Council administers applications it receives to the Housing Register and enacts its Housing Allocations Scheme be noted.

(2)      That the basis for a review of the Council’s allocations and banding scheme to ensure that the scheme was working correctly in prioritising and meeting local housing needs now and in the foreseeable future be noted.

The Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Housing submitted a report to provide the Committee with an overview of the Cherwell District Council Housing Register and allocations process.

The Head of Housing advised the Committee that the council operated a waiting list for those seeking social housing. The housing allocation scheme used was called choice-based lettings. There were eight steps to the housing application process for applicants seeking social housing.

The Head of Housing advised the Committee that in the near future there would be a review of the parameters for the four housing needs bands that applicants could be allocated to. This would be carried out to assess whether the parameters were correct and if people were within the correct banding.

Following questions from the Committee regarding properties owned by Housing Associations that may be empty for a period of time, the Head of Housing advised that he engaged with Sanctuary Housing on a regular basis to address the matter. However, as they were an independent organisation,  the council could only advise and work in partnership to try and get houses that may be empty occupied again.

In response to a query regarding the selection process for advertised social houses, the Head of Housing advised the system created a shortlist of applicants based on who had bid for a particular property, in order of banding and length of time on the register.  Officers in the Housing team then assessed the need of each shortlisted applicant against the specific property, to ensure the property was offered to a suitable applicant, e.g. checking that the if the applicant used a wheelchair, the access at the property wasn’t via steps.

Following questions by the Committee regarding the difference between social and affordable housing in new developments, the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Housing advised that social housing was houses that were purchased by a registered housing provider. The council speaks to registered providers to ask if they would be interested in taking on available houses however the Section 106 agreement that was agreed in the planning process for housing developments dictated how many housing units were provided as affordable and social housing.

In response to Members’ questions regarding disproportion of numbers within each banding on the waiting list, the Head of Housing advised that the proposed review of the bands would make sure that applicants in the highest need were placed in the highest band, and not competing with applications where needs were not as high.

Following a question from the Committee regarding the description of band four as ‘no housing need’, the Head of Housing clarified that the band covered applicants who were eligible to join the register, but didn’t have urgent needs as covered by the other bands. The Head of Housing explained that each council could make their own decisions as to whether applicants with ‘no housing need’ were allowed on the housing register or not. 

Resolved

(1)      That how the Council administers applications it receives to the Housing Register and enacts its Housing Allocations Scheme be noted.

(2)      That the basis for a review of the Council’s allocations and banding scheme to ensure that the scheme was working correctly in prioritising and meeting local housing needs now and in the foreseeable future be noted.