Decision details

Cabinet AGREED:

1.         To approve the draft revised Allocations Scheme attached at Appendix A to the report as the Council’s new Allocations Scheme to be implemented with effect from Monday 1 April 2013 and with local lettings policy from 1 October 2012 in accordance with section 7.3 of the Allocations Scheme.

2.                  The draft Tenancy Strategy attached at Appendix B to the report, with publication before 14 January 2013 and to be implemented with effect from Monday 1 April 2013.

3.                  To delegate to the Cabinet Member for Housing authority to make any minor amendments to the revised Allocations Scheme and/or Tenancy Strategy, necessitated by any future guidance, further legal advice, national government or operational requirements, unless these would have a significant financial impact in which case a further report would be brought to Cabinet.

4.                  To delegate to the Cabinet Member for Housing authority to approve the necessary policies and procedures for reviewing the circumstances of individual households when their fixed term tenancy comes to an end.

5.                  To delegate to the Head of Housing and Public Protection authority to review the circumstances of every household on the Housing Register to enable a reassessment of their priority for housing prior to implementation of the new Allocations Scheme, and to take measures to protect those households on the Register who had bid for a property within the last three months prior to the implementation date and their bid had been in the top five by affording the Head of Housing and Public Protection the discretion to allow them to continue to bid for a period of three months after the date of the implementation of the new scheme.

6.                  That in advance of the full implementation of the revised Allocations Scheme on 1 April 2013, Cabinet approved from 1 October 2012 giving notification to households living outside of the borough, except serving and ex-service personnel and other exceptions as included under the revised Scheme of their removal from the Housing Register from 1 April 2013.

7.                  To delegate authority to the Lead Member for Housing to approve any local lettings policies under the new Allocations Scheme, in particular Dreywood Lodge, formerly known as Snowden Court.