The Housing Advisory Panel of Wigan Council scheduled a meeting to discuss several key housing-related topics. These included revisions to the Allocations Policy, updates on tenant satisfaction, and a review of statutory compliance policies.

Allocations Policy

A report was prepared for the Director – Place, Aidan Thatcher, to present proposed revisions to the council's Allocations Policy. The policy aims to ensure a fair, transparent, and needs-based approach to allocating council housing.

The report stated that the updated policy seeks to:

• Improve access for those in greatest need.
• Enhance clarity in eligibility and prioritisation criteria.
• Support the efficient use of housing stock to better meet the diverse needs of residents.

Some of the proposed changes to the policy included:

• Strengthening local connection rules, requiring applicants to have lived in the Wigan borough for three years prior to applying.
• Requiring applicants to have an assessed housing need to join the Housing Register.
• Reducing the number of reasonable offers an applicant can refuse before a penalty is imposed, from three to two.
• Disqualifying homeowners from joining the Housing Register, with some exceptions.
• Removing applicants from the Housing Register who have not bid for a home in a 12-month period without a good reason.
• Changing the bedroom standard for measuring overcrowding, allowing one bedroom for any two additional people of the same sex up to the age of 21 (instead of 16).
• Removing the discretion to offer larger properties to applicants.
• Removing banding priority for families with young children living in flats above ground floor level.
• Removing the second stage Council officer 'Appeals Panel'.
• Reordering the housing need categories to more accurately reflect similar thresholds of housing need for each band.
• Disqualifying applicants with sufficient income or savings to find their own accommodation.

The Housing Advisory Panel was invited to comment on and endorse the new Allocations Policy, before it was scheduled to go to both the Cabinet and then the Council for final approval.

Statutory Compliance Policies

The Assistant Director - Property and Assets, Jonathan Lowe, submitted a report regarding statutory compliance policies. The report noted that in December 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing served a Regulatory Notice on Wigan Council because the council did not have an effective system in place to meet its responsibilities for statutory health and safety compliance across a range of areas.

The report stated that as a result, Wigan Council commissioned an external Statutory Compliance audit which was conducted by Ridge, and the report identified gaps in policies and procedures. The service developed a suite of new policies with an amendment to the Gas Safety Policy, and Pennington's Choices were commissioned to review the policies offering external assurance.

The policies that were scheduled for discussion were:

• Fire Safety Policy
• Electric Safety Policy
• Legionella Policy
• Lift Safety Policy
• Asbestos Policy

The Housing Advisory Panel was asked to endorse the Statutory Compliance Policies and their subsequent implementation to Council for approval.

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

A report from the Assistant Director – Housing Services, Kathryn Perry, was scheduled to provide an update on the results from the second part of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures for 2024/25. The report focused on the Regulator of Social Housing's suite of 10 management information tenant satisfaction measures, that form a key part of the reshaped consumer regulation model.

The report included data on:

• Building Safety Measures
• Repairs and Maintenance
• Housing Complaints
• Anti-Social Behaviour

The Housing Advisory Panel was requested to scrutinise the results reported against the Regulator's suite of ten management information measures, note the wider feedback and learning gathered from the tenant satisfaction survey, and indicate areas where further investigation may be needed to fully understand the reasons for performance against specific measures.

Temporary Moves

A report was prepared to provide evidence of an independent review of temporary moves that was conducted by an Audit Manager within the Internal Audit Service. The review was conducted in response to a maladministration finding from the Housing Ombudsman.

The review was to identify from January 2023:

• How many requests for temporary moves were received
• How many were refused
• The duration of the move, and
• How many complaints were raised by residents regarding decants/temporary moves and the outcomes – broken down for 2023/24 and 2024/25

The Housing Advisory Panel was requested to scrutinise the report and any findings, and note that internal audit have recommended that decisions made by the Responsive Repairs Team not to proceed with a decant are recorded.

Housing Repairs and Maintenance Policy

A report was prepared to obtain the endorsement and implementation of the Council's proposed Housing Repairs and Maintenance Policy. The policy formalises current processes, using current resources, and outlines the scope and responsibilities of these repair and maintenance services, setting a clear standard for what tenants and leaseholders should expect from the council in ensuring that homes are kept to a safe and decent standard.

The Housing Advisory Panel was requested to comment on and support the current draft of the Housing Repairs and Maintenance Policy, subject to potential amendments following the closure of the public consultation.

Other items

The agenda also included:

• Apologies for absence.
• The minutes of the meeting held on 17 June 2025.
• A verbal update from Tenant Representatives.
• Declarations of interest.
• Urgent business.
• Revised Terms of Reference.

Councillor Susan Gambles, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Welfare, was scheduled to present proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Housing Advisory Panel to ensure that they are aligned with the requirements of the Regulator for Social Housing and the Council's Progress with Unity missions. The Housing Advisory Panel was asked to formally adopt the proposed revised Terms of Reference for the group.

Attendees were asked to declare any interests in any item for discussion at the meeting, using the Declaration of Interest Form.