Council Faces High Court Challenge over Homelessness Policy

A council’s policy to bar homeless people from bidding for social homes for 12 months is set to be challenged in the High Court.  Resident Hakima Alemi will say Westminster Council’s allocation policy, which suspends homeless people from bidding for social housing until a year after their homelessness acceptance, is unlawful. Ms Alemi’s judicial review against the scheme, launched in October last year, was last week given permission to be heard in the High Court within months. Ms Alemi argues Westminster’s policy breaches the 1996 Housing Act, which requires councils to give ‘reasonable preference’ to homeless people. Read more on Inside Housing.

Council to Cut Thousands from Housing Register

Cherwell District Council is set to change the way it deals with applications for social housing through changes to its allocation scheme in anticipation of the coming welfare reforms.  Applicants are currently divided into five bands - one denotes the highest level of need and five the least.  The new system will operate in three stages. Households will be assessed on whether they are eligible for social housing, qualify under the new scheme and are considered to be in a "reasonable preference" category.  Applicants who are homeless, have unacceptable living conditions or need to move on medical grounds are included in the groups most likely to fit into this bracket.  Under the new rules, anyone who does not qualify and is not considered to have "reasonable preference" will no longer be allowed on the register.  Find more details on the CDC website.

Allocations – Parliamentary Written Answer

Jim Cunningham MP (Labour, Coventry South): Will the Government place in the Library a copy of the criteria used by local housing authorities to determine priority applicants?
Andrew Stunell MP (Liberal Democrat, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government): Local authorities in England are responsible for drafting and making available their own scheme for determining the priorities to be followed in allocating social housing. However, under s.167 of the Housing Act 1996 an allocation scheme must be framed to ensure that 'reasonable preference' (i.e. overall priority) for social housing is given to the following categories of people:
*people who are homeless or owed certain duties under the homelessness legislation
*people living in insanitary, overcrowded or unsatisfactory housing
*people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including ground relating to a disability
*people who need to a particular locality in the district to avoid hardship to themselves or others