Purpose

This report seeks delegated approval to adopt
changes to the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy –
the policy for determining who has priority for social housing in
Brighton & Hove and how it is allocated – following a
review policy and a 14-week public consultation.

Content

That Cabinet
 

1)            
Agree to adopt the changes set out in this report,
in summary:

 

i)                 
Change the ‘local residency criteria’
from 5 years to 5-out-of-7 years (para 4.1 – 4.3);

ii)                
Remove the ‘allocation plan queue
divisions’ (para 4.4 – 4.6);

iii)               
Award ‘reasonable preference’ to all
households with an accepted homeless duty (para 4.7 -
4.9);

iv)              
Award a ‘reasonable preference’ where
homelessness is ‘prevented’ or ‘relieved’
(para 4.10-4.12);

v)                
Support applications from joint social housing
tenants (para 4.13-4.14);

vi)              
Amend priority awarded to current or former armed
forces personnel (para 4.15 – 4.16);

vii)             
Enable ‘direct offers’ in exceptional
circumstances (para 4.17 – 4.18);

viii)            
Remove priority Band A status for households in
temporary accommodation, where the property is being returned to
the landlord (para 4.19 – 4.20);

ix)              
Award priority Band A status to
‘non-statutory successors’ for a 6-month time limited
period (para 4.21 - 4.24); and

x)                
Permit households with a 4-bed or more need
experiencing statutory overcrowding to bid for Brighton & Hove
council properties which are one bedroom short of their need, where
this would resolve statutory overcrowding (para 4.25 –
4.33).
 

2)            
Note these changes in the Allocations Policy
(Appendix 1).

 

3)            
Note the timescales for full implementation of the
revised Allocations Policy by April 2025 (as set out in para
3.5).
 
4)            
Agree commencing further consultation and analysis
of the impact of a wider cohort of overcrowded households bidding
on properties one bedroom less than their households need, where
the result would not meet the criteria of statutory overcrowding
(para 4.32).