Issue - meetings

Matters arising from Housing, Planning & Development Scrutiny Panel – Undertaking a review of the Housing Register  - To be introduced by the Scrutiny Panel Chair for Housing, Planning and Development.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader)  to respond to the recommendation.

The Scrutiny Budget Recommendations will be considered as part of Item 9.

The Scrutiny Panel Chair for Housing, Planning and Development introduced the report of the Housing, Planning & Development Scrutiny Panel – Undertaking a review of the Housing Register.

It was explained that the Panel had resolved to submit a formal recommendation to Cabinet, that the Council should undertake a review of the housing register and that the Council should write to everyone on the housing register and ask them to provide an updated return on their current housing status. It was felt that the most appropriate time to do this was as part of the consultation process for the updated housing allocations policy.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader) outlined the response to the recommendations, explaining that, as part of the implementation process of a revised Housing Allocation Policy, the Council would need to reassess all existing applications against any changes to assessment criteria. It was explained that this would include ensuring that the Council had up to date information for all existing applicants on which to base an accurate assessment against the new policy. It was explained that, as part of this process, applicants would be invited confirm or otherwise update their current circumstances. It was additionally explained that. following implementation of the new the new policy, the Council would ask for applications to be renewed and conduct reviews of applications at regular intervals. It was explained that the approach would be set out in the draft policy that will go out to consultation.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

• Agreed with the scrutiny recommendation to contact everyone on the housing register and take forward a review of the register, in order to ascertain the extent to which the information held by the Council was up to date and whether, in light of the length of time some people spend on the register, their housing needs had changed.