Council Severs Link between Homelessness and Social Tenancies

A Conservative-run council is to sever the link between a homelessness application and a social housing tenancy as it bids to overhaul its allocations policy.  Hammersmith and Fulham Council (HandF) says it wants to reward hard working residents with a local connection to the borough, who make a positive contribution to the community.  It has unveiled a range of measures including scrapping its choice-based lettings system, severing the link between homelessness applications and social tenancies, giving greater priority to those in work and offering five-year fixed-term social tenancies. It also plans to restrict the waiting list to those earning below £40,000.  It says the current register - which can see anyone from any part of the country go on it - "creates false hopes and expectations for applicants".  The council made just under 500 new lettings last year, despite having a waiting list of over 10,000.  Read more on the HandF website.