Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Head of Customer Services on the necessary changes to the Lettings Policy in light of new legislation and statutory guidance.

That the amended Lettings Policy, as attached as Appendix 1 to the Officer’s report be approved with references in the footer of the document to ‘Territorial Army’ to be supplanted with ‘Regular Army Reserve’.

The Cabinet considered a report by the Head of Customer Services (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) as the Council’s Lettings Policy had been revised following necessary changes in light of new legislation and statutory guidance.

The Council was required by law to have an allocations scheme for determining priorities in the allocation of social rented housing, which was the Lettings Policy.  Following changes to legislation, the Council was required to review its allocation scheme to provide for social tenants who needed to move to be closer to work, or accept an offer of work, where failure to meet that need would cause hardship to themselves or others.  The Council’s Policy already provided for those people that ware in work within the District, providing them with a local connection to the area.  However, it did not specifically provide for those that were in receipt of a genuine offer of employment in the District and might suffer hardship if they were unable to accept that offer. 

The Council’s Lettings Policy had been amended to include new local connection criteria so that households that met this criterion and needed to move between local authorities were not disadvantaged.

The Council was required to reserve a proportion of its lettings to households within this ‘Right to Move’ category, which the Secretary of State recommended was at least 1%.  This equated to four to six lettings per year in this District and this quota system and percentage had been included within the Lettings Policy.

It had been noted that references in the footer of the document to ‘Territorial Army’ should be replaced with ‘Regular Army Reserve’ to ensure the correct use of terminology.  Whereupon the Cabinet,

RESOLVED

that the amended Lettings Policy, as attached as Appendix 1 to the Officer’s report be approved with references in the footer of the document to ‘Territorial Army’ to be supplanted with ‘Regular Army Reserve’[1].