Landmark Ruling To Hit Council Waiting List Rules

Councils could have to overhaul residency requirements for social housing or risk a High Court challenge, following a landmark legal judgement. The judgement, handed down by the High Court, could confound some local authorities’ attempts to control their housing waiting list after the government relaxed allocation rules in 2011. Ealing Council in 2013 introduced a policy stopping people from joining its housing register unless they have lived in the borough for at least five years. The court found the policy breached the 1996 Housing Act, which requires councils to give ‘reasonable preference’ to homeless people. Lawyers now believe that the ruling sets a legal precedent for other English local authorities. Read more on Inside Housing.

MP Calls for End to Foreign Nationals Allocations 'Scandal'

A Labour MP has called on the Government to review who gets priority for social housing as new research reveals nearly half of new tenants in parts of the capital were foreign nationals. Birkenhead MP Frank Field, who led a review on poverty for the Coalition, said a new bill would ensure that those citizens who have made the most contribution to society would get priority for social housing. He called the new figures a “scandal”.  A new research paper, by campaign group Migration Watch UK, reveals that at least 11% of social housing lets in London were given to foreign nationals. In some boroughs, such as Ealing and Haringey, the number of new tenants from another country nears 50%.  Download a copy of the paper from the Migration Watch website.

Housing Commission Produces Final Report

Ealing Council’s Housing Commission, which was launched in March 2011 to help identify the borough’s housing goals, has produced its final report and recommendations.  The Commission’s foremost recommendation is that Ealing maintains its commitment to socially rented homes and security of tenure with its own stock.  It also advocates employment and training advice, especially at the point of letting, becoming a core element of Ealing’s social tenancies.  The Commission also focused its attention on the private rental sector. Recommendations here include landlord licensing schemes, initially in areas where private rental properties are beginning to dominate and whhere there are especially poor standards.  The council will also consider using new Housing Revenue Account (HRA) freedoms to directly provide housing for private rental or sale, and so generate a cross-subsidy for providing social rented homes. Read more on the Ealing Council website.