Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Housing presented a report on a number of proposed changes to the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy, aimed at encouraging people to make a home in the Borough and participate in their local community, addressing the limited housing options available to residents and improving the choice and quality of homes. 

The proposals related to the following five aspects:

·  Introducing a residential qualification;

·  Exclusions to joining the waiting list;

·  Priority for working households;

·  Flexible tenancies;

·  Discharging the Council’s homeless duty into the private sector.

The Cabinet Member explained that the proposals responded to the statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State in December 2013 entitled “Providing social housing for local people - Statutory guidance on social housing allocations for local authorities in England” and would help to provide local residents with a realistic prospect of Council housing.

With regard to the introduction of a residential qualification, the report set out an options appraisal in respect of two, five and ten year requirements as well as an Equalities Impact Assessment relating to each option.  The Cabinet Member for Housing advised a 10-year requirement was recommended and he referred in particular to the Council’s major 10-year housing regeneration programme which, although significantly increasing the amount of affordable social housing in the longer term, would continue to restrict the availability of Council housing in the intervening period due to the need to re-house decanted residents.  Another factor in support of a 10-year requirement was the large number of local residents currently on the waiting list who qualified to move into larger family homes but whose prospects were being inhibited as a result of the number of families from outside of the Borough who were moving to Barking and Dagenham because of the higher cost of social housing elsewhere and the lack of investment in housing across London and the surrounding area.

The Divisional Director of Housing Strategy commented that the proposals fitted in with the Council’s social and economic regeneration policy objectives and would remove some of the barriers faced by a growing group of local residents, particularly those in work, who wished to move into affordable Council housing.  He added that the statutory guidance clearly pointed to a residential qualification and he also referred to the Equalities Impact Assessment that had been carried out on all of the proposals and which was appended to the report. 

The Corporate Director of Housing and Environment confirmed that the new arrangements would not come in to effect until 1 September 2014.  In the meantime, an extensive public awareness campaign would be undertaken to ensure that any resident wishing to join the Council’s waiting list could do so prior to the new residential qualification and other criteria coming into effect.  Furthermore, the new arrangements would be subject to a full review after the first year to ensure that they were meeting the Council’s objectives.

The Leader referred to previous amendments to the Housing Allocations Policy which included the giving of priority to British Armed Forces personnel (Minute 76, 18 December 2013 refers) and commented that while Barking and Dagenham had stressed the need for new Council house building to meet the huge demand across London, other boroughs had failed to properly respond.  The Leader cited the reduced level of social housing emanating from the Olympic Park development in Newham as an example and he welcomed scrutiny of the proposed changes to Barking and Dagenham’s Housing Allocations Policy as he felt that the Council could more than justify its position as they enabled the Council to meet its duty to act in the best interests of its residents.

The Leader alluded to the main policy drivers for the proposals, as set out in paragraph 1.3 of the report, and suggested that all those currently on the housing waiting list would appreciate the steps that the Council was taking.  There would be exceptions to the residency requirement in some specific circumstances and the priority for those in employment was seen as an important factor in promoting the social and economic regeneration of the Borough and fostering aspiration. 

The Leader reiterated that the proposals would not come into effect until 1 September, so any individual joining the housing waiting list would not be subject to the new rules.

A number of other the Cabinet Members spoke in support of the proposals and their observations included the following:

·  Barking and Dagenham was already a multi-cultural Borough so any suggestions that the new arrangements were in any way racist were totally unfounded;

·  In respect of the Equalities Impact Assessment and the reference to high levels of overcrowding across all communities within the Borough, officers were asked to look into ways of addressing the position;

·  Whilst it would be the ideal to meet everyone’s housing needs, the Council had to take a pragmatic approach and focus on the best way to address the housing problems faced by Barking and Dagenham residents;

·  The Mayor for London should act proactively in addressing London’s housing needs and release some of his land holdings for development.

Cabinet resolved:

(i)  To approve the following changes to the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy:

(a)  The introduction of a 10-year residential requirement for all new applications to be placed on the Housing Register;

(b)  The excluding of applications to the Housing Register from those who meet the residential criteria but have no housing need and no realistic prospects of re-housing;

(c)  That a reasonable preference category (priority) be awarded to those applicants who are in paid employment and in housing need;

(d)  That flexible tenancies of a minimum of two years may be granted in certain circumstances, as outlined in paragraph 2.6 of the report;

(e)  That the Council may discharge its duty to homeless households by securing private rented accommodation, rather than retaining a full housing duty until a long term social rented home becomes available; and

(ii)  That the above changes to the Housing Allocations Policy apply to all new applications received from 1 September 2014.