Cabinet members last night (Tuesday 22 January) approved a public
consultation on a new Allocations policy which proposes dramatic changes
to the way the council allocates social housing.
Launching on Friday 25 January, the consultation will ask members of
the public for their views on a series of changes which include closing
the housing register to residents outside of Thanet, introducing a three
year minimum residency criterion and placing tighter controls on those
guilty of unacceptable behaviour and/or rent arrears.
The draft policy also proposes re-categorising the current housing
bands (A-D) which determine the level of housing need for each
applicant. As part of this, the proposals will see those who are
categorised as homeless moved from the top priority band ‘A’ to a band
‘C’.
By creating a new tighter set of criteria for those seeking housing
in Thanet the council hopes to ensure that those in the most housing
need are supported and prioritised appropriately. Part of this will also
be to challenge the perception that becoming homeless offers the best
route to obtaining housing.
Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr David Green, said: “We’ve drafted a
policy which proposes some pretty radical changes to our current housing
allocations system. With a housing register of over 6,000 households,
and insufficient housing stock to offer, we clearly needed to take a
radical approach.
“Ensuring that we have the resources and housing in place to support
those who are genuinely in housing need is the key driver for these
proposals. They also provide us with the tools to ensure that those that
have other housing options available to them are not taking advantage
of a system which is in place to help those who most need it.
“I hope that people will take the time to contribute to the
consultation which I’m sure will generate some interesting discussion.”
Members of the public are invited to complete a short survey on the
proposals from Friday 25 January. The survey can be completed online at www.thanet.gov.uk or by collecting a copy of the survey in any Thanet library, council office or from Thanet’s Gateway Plus.
Copies of the survey can also be requested by e-mailing consultation@thanet.gov.uk or calling 01843 577277.
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