Cabinet:

1.     Approved the Housing Allocation Scheme attached in appendix 1 of the report.

Cabinet considered a report on the Housing Allocations Policy 2021.

It was explained that the Housing Act 1996 Part VI required local authorities to publish an allocation scheme that set out there policy for allocating affordable housing provided by the council or housing associations in the borough. Councils were required to give reasonable preference to certain categories of applicant and have due regard to statutory guidance and the law.

Demand for social housing in Havering significantly exceeded the number of properties available. In the financial year 2019-2020, only one in every 5 households on the Council’s Housing Register had a realistic prospect of securing social housing.

The scheme proposed a number of revisions to the current Scheme (dated 2016) to set out how Council housing was prioritised to ensure that it was fairly allocated to households in the greatest need.

Furthermore, it set out how the Council would enable access to other forms of affordable housing, such as shared ownership and intermediate rented housing.

Cabinet:

Approved the Housing Allocation Scheme attached in appendix 1 of the report.