Housing Minister
John Healey has today taken steps to give people confidence that
councils allocate housing in their area fairly.
It forms part of the Prime Minister’s Housing Pledge to improve
access to housing by giving councils a bigger role in meeting the
needs of people in their area, and clamping down on tenancy cheats
who unlawfully sub-let their properties for a profit.
Draft guidance published today makes clear that first priority
for housing must be given to those in greatest housing need. But
it also strengthens the freedoms councils have to prioritise needs
specific to their local area.
This could include:
-Attracting people with particular skills
into an area;
-Giving priority to those who have been on
housing waiting lists for a long time; or
-Supporting people
in work – particularly those on low incomes
The draft guidance also makes clear the need for councils to
tackle the myths and misunderstandings surrounding allocations, by
doing more to inform their communities about who is getting
housing, and to consult tenants and residents when setting their
local priorities, so that allocations policies are better
understood and have greater legitimacy among local people.
Mr Healey also launched plans for a coordinated crackdown this
autumn on people who cheat the housing system and profit from
subletting their council house or housing association home. This
anti-fraud drive, the first of its kind, could free up between
5,000 and 10,000 homes for those who need them over this and next year.
This multi-million pound anti-fraud drive includes a data sweep
of housing and benefit records, and new practical advice for
councils and housing associations on the best way to catch tenancy
cheats – including on setting up local hotlines, and special crack
squads to investigate reports of fraud.
This initiative is supported by the Audit Commission, National
Housing Federation, Chartered Institute of Housing, the Tenant
Services Authority and the Local Government Association.
Councils that sign up to this commitment and agree to work with
local housing associations will benefit from a share of £4million
to help them start their own anti-fraud initiatives.
John Healey said:
"People must have more confidence that decisions about
who gets housing are taken fairly. This means better information
for residents, so that local authorities’ allocation policies are
clear, well understood and meet the needs of the whole community.
It also means councils making the most of the greater leeway I’m
giving them in the new guidance to allocate homes according to
local needs.
"But this is only one side of the equation. Anyone
getting council or housing association homes should stick to the
same rules as everyone else. So today, I am also announcing a
coordinated crackdown on the tenancy cheats who profit from
unlawfully sub-letting their home. This could free up thousands of
properties for people who really need them.
"These two measures combined present a valuable
opportunity to tackle head-on the myths and false perceptions
around social housing. By working together and with local
residents, councils and housing associations can ensure fairness
in allocations."
The plans come as an Ipsos-Mori poll shows more people disagree
(32 per cent) than agree (23 per cent) that the way local
authority housing is allocated is fair – while 45 per cent simply
do not know enough about how housing is allocated in their area.
The survey also found that 81 per cent agreed that social housing
tenants who abuse the conditions of their tenancy should not be
allowed to stay in their homes.
Housing experts have suggested that the number of social homes
unlawfully sub-let by tenants could range from one in 100 to as
many as one in 20 in some inner-city hotspots.
Some councils have found that recovering a property that has been
unlawfully sublet can cost as little as £4,000, whilst the total
cost of building a new social home can be well over £100,000.
Steve Bundred, Chief Executive of the Audit Commission said:
"For every illegal tenancy there is a homeless tenant or
family who stands to lose out. This is because housing which
should have been theirs is occupied illegally by some one else
holding two or more tenancies. It also represents a waste of
taxpayers’ money.
"We are delighted to be working with government and
local authorities on this initiative to root out the fraudsters
who exploit the social housing system for personal gain.
"Extending our National Fraud initiative will help to
prevent this type of fraud occurring in future.'
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said:
"Subletting social housing is not only unlawful, but it
deprives people in pressing need of affordable housing. At a time
of recession and growing waiting lists this is unacceptable.
"It’s because this scandal is compounding the
national housing crisis that we are fully behind this drive."
Sarah Webb, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing said:
"Every year almost 200,000 people get the keys to a good
quality, affordable home in communities up and down the country.
With shortages of affordable rented housing the way that these
homes are allocated is critical.
"Local councils and housing associations have a shared
responsibility to house people who are in real need and a shared
responsibility and motivation to help build strong communities.
But we know that there can be real tensions around who gets
priority and access to affordable housing.
"CIH believes today's announcements are an
important measure in providing local communities with a greater
say in the allocation of affordable housing, something that in
turn can help tackle some of the myths that exist around waiting lists."
Chief Executive of the Tenant Services Authority, Peter Marsh, said:
"The TSA exists to ensure that current and potential
tenants are protected. We believe that action should be taken when
people are abusing the system and profiting from sub-letting."
Notes to editors
1. The guidance, Fair and Flexible: draft statutory guidance on
social housing allocations for Local Authorities in England, is
published today and can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/allocationguideconsultation.
2. A key element the draft guidance covers is the removal of the
requirement to give higher priority to people who have
"cumulative preference", that is people who fit
into more than one of the greatest housing need categories –
giving councils more leeway to consider other local priorities,
such as local or family connection to an area, how long a person
has been on the waiting list, and supporting people into work.
3. Responses to the draft guidance are invited by 23 October,
2009. The final guidance will be issued later this autumn
4. Three research reports are also published today:
-
Attitudes to Housing: Findings from the Ipsos MORI Public Affairs
Monitor Omnibus survey;
- Attitudes to Housing: Findings from
focus groups; and
- Exploring local authority policy and
practice on housing allocations.All three can be found at:
www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingmanagementcare/housingallocation/
Contacts:
NDS Enquiries
ndsenquiries@coi.gsi.gov.uk