Agenda item

The Panel will consider an update on the status and outcome of the commissioned review of the Kirklees Housing Allocations Policy.

Contacts:

Paul Howard, Acting Head of Housing, Housing Services
Michelle Anderson-Dore, Head of Housing Management and Partnerships, Homes and Neighbourhoods

Paul Howard, Acting Head of Housing, Policy and Strategy, provided a verbal summary in relation to the updates to the Housing Allocations Policy, and advised the Panel that:

·       It was a Legal requirement of the Council to have a Policy in place relating to Housing Allocations.

·       The current Policy had not been reviewed since 2011 and there was a need to ensure it was compliant.

·       The Housing Quality Network were appointed to consider the Policy and identified that the existing policy was broadly compliant, and following consultation, it was agreed that minor amendments be made.

·       The amendments included new guidance in relation to domestic abuse and a new Band (B9) relating to home loss which supported existing tenants to secure alternative accommodation.

·       The main consideration of the Housing Quality Network was the number of people on the housing register which varied between 19,000 and 20,000 and the number of properties available to people within bands A to E.

·       There were around 30 properties that became available each week which highlighted that there were a number of people on the register who would not secure a property within the near future.

·       People on lower bands were signposted to other areas of housing.

·       It was decided that all housing bands would remain and also the register of people with varying housing needs.

·       There was a lack of age designation, but the tools within the existing Policy (Local Lettings Plan) would ensure greater flexibility and address the issues.

·       A further consideration of the Housing Quality Network was for the Local Authority to make better use of Management lets, to address it’s responsibilities in relation to better meeting the needs of children leaving the care system.

The Panel noted the update and asked a question in relation to military families and veterans highlighting that they should not be disadvantaged by the allocation of housing.

Paul Howard, Acting Head of Housing responded to advise that information relating to Military families and Veterans was covered within the existing Policy and remained compliant, so no changes were required.

In the discussion to follow the Panel highlighted the following concerns:

·       That if a tenant died, there was no policy in place that allowed other family members to remain in the property.

·       That consultation had taken place with Cabinet Members / relevant Portfolio Holders but not with Ward Councillors.

·       That age designation caused problems, especially in areas that were originally designed for the elderly and vulnerable, and that careful consideration needed to be given in terms of location and property type.

Paul Howard clarified the point regarding consultation and confirmed that Officers had made the decision in conjunction with Cabinet Portfolio Holders. In response to a question in relation to a discrepancy in the figures on page 18 regarding lettings, he further advised that this was because of the time the figures were recorded as this data varied day to day.

Michelle Anderson-Dore, Head of Partnerships, Growth and Regeneration, advised in relation to age designation that there were areas across Kirklees where it applied, and that the challenge was identifying suitable applicants based on their age whilst not leaving properties unoccupied.

The Panel highlighted that the consultation figure on page 20 was less than 2 residents per Ward and that there was a need to talk to people beyond those who were already part of the system. The Panel questioned the confidence in the consultation responses and suggested it would be useful to fully understand consultation requirements to ensure correct decisions were being made.

Paul Howard responded and advised that the amendments were shared with stakeholder consultation groups, and that consultation was done with individual stakeholders during the COVID-19 Pandemic which affected the availability of some people.

Naz Parkar Service Director, Homes and Neighbourhoods added that the requirements to consult the public were not as crucial given the changes were minor and that wider public consultation, including with those not on the register, would occur for each policy change.

Councillor Elizabeth Smaje highlighted the Local Lettings Plan, and that the perspective of tenants was important. Councillor Smaje suggested conversations were undertaken with the people living in sensitive letting accommodation in relation to the use of the Local Lettings Plan, how it was applied and the process that was followed if someone did not abide by it.

Naz Parkar, noted the importance of the tenants’ perspectives and advised that there had been a large body of feedback regarding sensitive and local letting plans, which would help strengthen the plans. It was further advised in relation to tenants not abiding by the Policy, that if a tenant had secured tenancy rights, consideration would be given to the tenancy agreement and the Councils contractual obligations and legal processes would be followed to resolve the issues.

Paul Howard responded to a question regarding a robust review of the Local Lettings Plan and shared that more work needed to be undertaken in relation to identifying particular areas of sensitive lets, to be able to talk to the people within those areas and build background information that would inform the plan.

Naz Parkar responded to a question from the Panel regarding the number of people in emergency accommodation and if they would be placed in banded properties. Naz advised that there were around 300 people in emergency accommodation, 89 of which were in bed and breakfast. It was noted that the Council had a duty to house these people permanently which included placing some people in mixed communities.

In response to a question in relation to the current housing stock, Naz Parker shared that there were 21,500 homes across the district but there was a particular shortage of 4-bedroom homes and 3-bedroom homes did not become available very often. Naz further advised that there were a further 1,000 homes managed on behalf of others and a further 6,000+ for which the Council had accommodation rights.

The Panel acknowledged the situation was far worse than anticipated and that there were not many more houses than the 19,000 people on the housing register and questioned if the public were aware of the housing stock in order to ensure they had realistic expectations.

In response, Naz Parkar further advised that only 1700 to 1800 homes became available each year and that the turnover rate was average across the district.

The Panel highlighted the recent tragedy relating to mould in social housing and suggested that information was included in the policy to address the issue of mould and how the Council would ensure that this was dealt with.

RESOLVED: The Panel noted the Kirklees Housing Allocations Policy Review 2022 and recommended that:

1.    Careful consideration be given to age designation in relation to location and property type.

2.    The perspectives of tenants living within local and sensitive lettings be reflected in the Local Lettings Plan.

3.    For a briefing to be held with the Panel, to provide advice and clarification relating to the Councils approach to public consultation.

4.    Consideration be given to wider public consultation, to include people who were not on the housing register.

5.    Information be included in the policy in relation to the Councils response to dealing with mould in properties within a timely manner.

6.    A briefing be shared with the panel in relation to the Council response to dealing with mould in social housing.