Council home allocation
rule change

Councils have been given more flexibility in how they allocate social housing, enabling them to prioritise families with local connections.

Housing Minister John Healey has published new statutory guidance making it clear that people in greatest need of housing must be given priority.

But he has also given councils more freedom to allocate council houses according to the needs of their local area.

This extra flexibility enables them to prioritise families with local connections and people looking for jobs locally, while it will also help local authorities to tackle problems such as overcrowding or under-occupation.

But Mr Healey called on councils to do more to tackle the myths about housing waiting lists, so that local people have confidence that the system is fair.

Councils will now be expected to consult their local communities on changes to their housing allocation policies, as well as keep people informed about who is being given social housing, to ensure their policies are better understood.

Mr Healey said: "People must be given confidence that council homes in their area are allocated fairly.

"Councils must make sure people can see more clearly how homes are being allocated in their area.

Copyright © Press Association 2009
All articles are copyright The Press Association 2009. News articles provided by The Press Association for Family Investments. Whilst every care it taken to ensure accuracy of editorial content, Family Investments takes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. The views expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Family Investments.

For more about planning click here.