Consultation for the revised Housing Allocation Scheme

The Council is developing a new Housing Allocations Policy and is inviting existing and prospective Council tenants and other stakeholders to give their views on the proposed changes to the policy.

We are keen to hear from applicants and from organisations that represent them. We are also seeking views from residents, voluntary and public sector agencies, and housing providers.

The consultation on the proposed changes will run from 24 February 2025 until 20 April 2025.

At the end of this period, we will use your feedback to finalise the Housing Allocation Scheme before this is formally adopted later in 2025. We will also publicise the outcome of this consultation and show how this has been taken into account.

The current Housing Allocation Policy was produced in 2013 with some minor updates in 2019 to reflect changes in the law.

A new Housing Allocations Policy is now required to address the current housing challenges facing the district and to take account of new regulatory changes. In some areas, clearer wording is needed on how the policies should be applied.

The purpose of this document is to outline the proposed changes that we are consulting on.

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Across the country, councils are experiencing unprecedented levels of demand for social housing. The Council currently has just over 3000 homes and there are over 2,200 households on the Housing Register. Much of this demand is driven by the growing cost of housing for sale and rent and, more recently, the cost of living crisis. The increasing number of homeless households seeking assistance from the Council has added to the demand.

During the financial year 2023/24, the Council allocated 202 properties as set out below:

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Type of allocation                                                      Number of lettings

Lettings to  existing social housing tenants                               40

Lettings to  new social housing tenants                                  144

Mutual  exchanges                                                                   18

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Of the total 202 lettings, 168 properties were properties in the Council’s general housing stock and 34 were in sheltered housing. 174 nominations were also made to other registered housing providers in the district with whom the Council has a nomination agreement in place.

The Housing Allocation Policy must address the increasing demand for social housing, whilst ensuring a fair approach.

Our main objectives in developing the new policy are to:

• Set out clearly how we assess and prioritise applications to join the Housing Register and how we allocate our homes

• Ensure that those households with the greatest need receive adequate priority

• Ensure decisions are made fairly and with clear reasons

• Make it easier to understand the eligibility criteria, who qualifies and who we cannot house

•  Manage the demand for social housing as effectively and fairly as possible

• Ensure the policy is clear, transparent and easy to understand for applicants, staff, and other stakeholders

• Make sure we comply with legislation, regulatory standards and good practice

Summary of proposed changes

You can read a summary of the proposed changes to our existing policy here. You can also read the full version of the proposed Housing Allocations Policy here. All of the proposed changes are highlighted in red. Alternatively, you can email us at tenant.involvement@tendringdc.gov.uk or phone us on 01255 686690 to request a paper version of this document.

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Please let us know your views on this proposal by answering our survey by 20 April 2025.

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