The Service Manager (Housing Options) provided Members with a presentation on the Annual Review of the Housing Allocation Scheme which can be viewed on the link below:

(Public Pack)Presentation - Annual Review of Housing Allocation Scheme Agenda Supplement for Housing Services Cabinet Committee, 22/03/2022 19:30 (gravesham.gov.uk)

Following questions and comments from Members, the Service Manager (Housing Options) highlighted the following:

·       The Council will offer a property that a resident has already expressed an interest in and that is deemed suitable for their needs. The Council can add a ‘task’ to flag that a person is due to come off a suspension.

·       The Banding can be summarised as follows:

Band A

?          Urgent medical need - Those with an urgent need to move as their current accommodation is unsuitable for their medical or disability needs and they are unable to be discharged home from hospital or other clinical or respite facilities.

?          Severe medical need -Where an applicant has a terminal illness and the current accommodation is unsuitable for their medical needs and end-of-life care.

?          Urgent Welfare need- Households that need to move because they will experience severe or significant physical or mental illness as a result of their present housing circumstances Releasing adapted housing Transfer applicants currently living in a property with significant adaptations to meet a disability need but those adaptations are not required by any member of the household.

?          Redevelopment -Transfer applicants who need to move because their home is scheduled for redevelopment by the Council or one of its development partners.

?          Management move -Applicants who have been assessed by the Housing Allocations Panel as needing a move internally or under the National Witness Mobility Programme (NWMP) or other similar vulnerable person protection scheme.

?          Environmental/safety - Where the Private Sector Housing Team have assessed there are one or more Category 1 hazards (as assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating Scheme) or other severe property conditions that impose an imminent risk of harm to the occupants and remedial action is considered unreasonable or impractical for cost or other reasons.

?          Urgent need Applicants who have been assessed by the Housing Allocations Panel as needing a move due to an immediate, urgent or exceptional need.

?          Demolition or Compulsory Purchase Order - Where there is a rehousing obligation because a demolition, prohibition or compulsory purchase order has been served in respect of the applicant’s current accommodation.

?          Under occupying social housing - Transfer applicants who are looking to downsize and move to a home with at least one bedroom fewer than in their current home.

?          Overcrowding – lacking 3 bedrooms of more

?          Armed Forces – Medical - Serving members of the Armed Forces who need to move because of a serious injury, medical condition or disability sustained as a result of their service.

?          Armed Forces – Homeless - The bereaved spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces leaving Services Family Accommodation following the death of their  your spouse or partner.

Band B

?          Overcrowding - Applicants who are living in accommodation with two bedrooms fewer than their assessed need.

?          Move-on from supported housing- Applicants living in supported housing schemes within the borough (or temporarily displaced to a supported housing scheme in another borough) who have been assessed as ready to move on into independent living.

?          Environmental/safety - Where the Private Sector Housing Team have assessed that there are one or more Category 1 hazards (as assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating Scheme) which are having a negative impact on the medical, disability or welfare needs of a member of the household and remedial action is considered unreasonable or impractical for cost or other reasons.

?          Armed Forces – end of tenancy - Tenants occupying HM Forces service family accommodation who are threatened with homelessness because they have been served with a valid notice to vacate their tenancy (usually at least three months).

Band C

?          Homeless temporary accommodation -  applicants where we have accepted the full rehousing duty to secure accommodation under part 7 of the Housing Act 1996, that are residing in temporary accommodation but who are not assessed as having additional needs.  

?          Rough sleeper - Verified rough sleepers who have a local connection to Gravesham.

?          Overcrowding – applicants needing at least one more bedroom than their current home.

?          Medium medical need - Households where one or more members are awarded a priority on medical, disability or welfare grounds as the current housing conditions are having a negative impact on the medical, disability or welfare needs of a member of the household.

?          Medium welfare need - Households that would benefit from a move because they will experience a physical or mental illness as a result of their present housing circumstances, where the need to move is assessed as not urgent or life threatening or where a reciprocal has been agreed with another social housing provider.

Band D

?          Older person’s housing - Applicants assessed as needing sheltered accommodation who are not currently residing in sheltered accommodation.

?          Low housing need - Homeless applicants where we do not owe a duty to secure accommodation, such as:

-                non-priority homeless households; or

-                households assessed as having become homeless intentionally; or

-                those who are of no fixed abode, including those staying or “sofa surfing” with relatives or friends, or living in a garage, shed, outbuilding, car or tent; or

-                where we have a duty to prevent and relieve homelessness and where a PRS offer is offered following this duty.

Further details on banding will be circulated to Committee Members

·       It is difficult to give a reasonable answer on the waiting time for each Band as it depends on numerous factors.  The advice to Councillors who are asked about waiting times is to not give an indication as it raises expectations.

·       Regarding the methodology of who should be living with who / who people currently live with; the Council considers dependent children, adult children, people living in an area to give care or coming to an area to give care. Siblings are a little more complicated and these matters are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

·       The Allocations Panel has brought so much value and challenging conversations have led to change. Overcrowding has been discussed will be investigated.

·       The Council assesses welfare needs carefully and tries to work with people.

·       The website for those who wish to apply for housing is www.kenthomechoice.org.uk.  Customers should try to complete this themselves and where there are difficulties they can obtain assistance from support workers, friends and family.  If a households has no support network or professional working with them and they are having difficulties then an officer can assist in completing this with the customer.  

·       The Service Manager (Housing Options) agreed to circulate the Allocations Policy to the Committee following the meeting.

The Committee thanked the Service Manager (Housing Options) for the presentation on the Annual Review of Housing Allocation Scheme.