Have your say on new housing allocations policy
Council tenants and people on the waiting list for council housing will have the opportunity to take part in a consultation on Chesterfield Borough Council’s housing allocations policy.
The consultation runs from Monday 13 August to Monday 24 September.
The aim of the new policy is to change the way in which the council allocates council homes to make the system fairer for tenants and potential tenants.
The proposed changes include:
- Changing the current requirement for a potential tenant to have been resident in the borough for 12 months. The current policy has resulted in an increase in the number of unoccupied one-bedroom flats
- Introducing a risk assessment before letting a property to check if the potential tenant can afford the rent
- Limiting the ability for existing tenants to re-register unless there are to changes in their personal circumstances
- Replacing the current points based system with a simplified banding system to allocate homes
- Allowing pregnant applicants to request a separate bedroom for an as-yet unborn child
- Taking into account property or assets owned by applicants
- Bringing the policy into line with the council’s current policy on housing adaptations.
Councillor Helen Bagley, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for homes and customers, said: “We are committed to improving the quality of life for local people and the proposed changes to our housing allocations policy would make the system of allocating council homes fairer.
“I’d encourage all tenants and potential tenants to take part and have their say on the changes. All views will be taken into account before the council’s cabinet considers the policy in the autumn.”
All current tenants and people currently on the housing register will receive a questionnaire through the post.
The council will hold four drop-in sessions to offer more information and for people to ask questions, details of which can be found here.
To complete the survey online, visit www.chesterfield.gov.uk/allocations.
