Published on Tuesday 18 February 2020
BCP Council has drafted a new person-centred social housing allocation policy, which seeks to ensure its valuable housing resources go to the Council’s most vulnerable residents. The public is being invited to have their say on this during a 12-week consultation period taking place from today (Monday 17 February) until 11 May 2020.
This policy sets out the criteria used when assessing applications for social housing and how these properties are nominated. All nominations to vacant social housing properties owned and managed by BCP Council, Poole Housing Partnership and local housing associations will be made in accordance with the policy.
In October 2019 there were over 6,000 households waiting for an offer of social housing but only 834 properties became available for letting during the whole of the 2018/2019 financial year.
Councillor Kieron Wilson, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: "It's important that we develop a fair and equal policy which includes social housing across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to ensure the most vulnerable and most in need residents can access suitable housing.
"The proposed policy recognises that social housing remains a limited resource and, while it is unlikely to be the housing option for many, it aims to help applicants make realistic decisions about their future housing prospects by offering information on a range of options that meet their specific needs. I would urge local people to have their say during this consultation."
The Council is committed to building additional housing and has a programme to develop new accommodation on its owned sites. These new properties will also be nominated to through the allocations policy.
The consultation follows the Government granting BCP Council a period of two years to implement a new housing allocation policy, after its restructure on 1 April 2019. There are currently three allocation policies being used across the conurbation, each with different qualification and allocation criteria.
All responses to the consultation will be collated and carefully considered alongside an equalities impact assessment, before final recommendations are made to Full Council for consideration and approval.
You can have your say on the proposals and read the draft policy here. Please contact consultationforhousing@bcpcouncil.gov.uk if you have any questions.