Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director (Housing and Communities) which sets out the rules for the Council’s Housing Needs Register (“HNR”) and how priority is awarded to households, based on their housing need.

Report of the Executive Director (Housing and Communities) on the Council’s Housing Allocation Policy which set out the rules for the Council’s Housing Needs Register (HNR) and how priority was awarded to households, based on their housing needs. The Housing Needs Register consists of a list of all applicants looking for affordable, rented and low cost home ownership accommodation in the Welwyn Hatfield Borough.  It reflects issues such as overcrowding, health problems and homelessness.

The report noted that the Housing Allocation Policy was reviewed in 2012 in response to changes brought about by the Localism Act 2011, which gave councils greater freedom in the way in which they operated their HNR.  The revised policy was approved by full Council in January 2013 and the changes implemented that month.

The Housing and Planning Act 2016 came into force on 12 May 2016 and introduced numerous changes to housing law and planning law, mainly intended to promote homeownership and boost levels of house building in England. A key element of this was the introduction of a ‘Pay to Stay’ policy for council tenants, which stated that increased rental charges were to be made to tenants of council housing, based on incomes above £31,000.  The Government later amended the ‘Pay to Stay’ policy but the review was already underway and it was agreed to continue with this as other proposed changes were being put forward for consideration.

All the proposed changes aimed to ensure that there would be greater fairness and transparency in the way in which priority was awarded.  In some areas, the proposals sought to better manage expectations of applicants, where the current policy may have risen expectations that could not be met. 

Members considered the proposals set out in Appendix A – in summary:

a)            To no longer allow older home owners on the HNR unless in financial hardship or other exceptional circumstances would warrant this

b)            To amend the local connection criteria, so that a person establishes a local connection via employment in the district if they have had that employment for up to a minimum of five years

c)            To not award any priority or bedroom eligibility as a result of a pregnancy, but defer awarding additional priority until the baby is born and birth certificate received

d)            Applicants who have access to children are currently able to bid for 2 bed properties above the 3^rd floor, remove this option as it does not result in an allocation

e)            To remove the current priority awarded where someone is living in unsanitary conditions, however to commit to an assessment of homelessness if someone is living in very poor circumstances or their home is potentially insanitary and award any associated priority based on this assessment

f)             To not allow those with current or former tenant arrears on the HNR unless exceptional circumstances exist.  If there is a tenancy breach for a current tenant, they should not be allowed to join the HNR

g)            To give tenants living in properties that are to be decommissioned (that is changed from sheltered to general needs usage) the same priority as those moving from general needs housing to sheltered accommodation

Members sought clarification on (a) Home owners accepted on to the HNR – previously noted that over 60+ had sold family home and registered on the list. (b) Local connection – extend the period of employment up to a minimum of five years. (c) Consideration of maternity Certificate – the eligibility for a two bedroom rather than one was considered.  (d) Contact with children - Larger properties may sometimes be offered to customers depending on the level of housing demand and the customer’s individual circumstances. There are no regulations for 3^rd floor bedrooms for families with children. (e) Living in unsanitary conditions – mostly applied to private rented properties due to poor maintenance. (f) Tenants in breach of their tenancy conditions – the following table was circulated after the meeting which provided clarification:

(g) Decommissioning of Sheltered Housing – providing tenants living in properties would be decommissioned the same priority as those moving from General Needs to sheltered.  Most of the sheltered housing requires modernising and some not fit for purpose so require demolishing and reconstructing.

Further discussion ensued on rent arrears and the action been taken to ensure fairness for those tenants that fall into arrears.  Officers advised that policies were in place to combat such circumstances and that the Council provided appropriate advice to vulnerable tenants.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed changes set out in Appendix A of this report for wider consultation with applicants and stakeholders.