Dear Resident
The London Borough of Newham is proposing
to make some changes to the Housing Allocations Policy and we want to hear your
views.
You can have your say by clicking here:
https://www.newham.gov.uk/allocationsconsultation
Over 27,000 households are waiting for
social housing in Newham. Only a small number of houses become available each
year and we want to make sure they go to the residents who need them most.
We do this through the Housing Allocations Policy. This outlines who is allowed
on the list, how they are prioritised and how the council allocates housing.
The proposals
We want to make some changes to this
allocations policy to make sure it is fair. Full details of the proposed
changes can be found here but in summary, the four main changes being proposed
are:
1. Who
can join the waiting list: currently you can join the waiting
list if you have lived in Newham for two years, if you work in Newham or if you
have family in Newham. We propose changing this so you can only join the list
if you live in Newham for three years. There are some exceptions to the
three-year rule.
2. Waiting
time: We propose changing the way time on the waiting list
contributes to your priority when you bid on properties. Waiting time before a
housing need arises will not count.
3. Removing
the advantage given to people in employment: currently
households in employment have a higher priority when they bid for a property.
We propose removing the priority given to people in employment, so that
priority is based on housing need and time on the waiting list.
4. Creating
a new category based on overcrowding: we propose giving a
higher priority to households who are overcrowded plus one other reasonable
preference (housing need). We define severe overcrowding as being short of two
or more bedrooms.
The consultation
The consultation is open until Monday 4th
January 2021. The council will consider the responses it receives.
Recommendations will then be made to Cabinet members to help them make a
decision. We expect this to happen in March 2021.
The London Borough of Newham have
appointed independent research agency Savanta to host this consultation and
collect feedback from residents.
You can participate in the consultation by
clicking here.
You can also request a postal version of
the questionnaire by contacting newhamconsultation@mysavanta.com
or 0800 304 7488.
With kind regards,
Darren Levy
Director of Housing
London Borough of Newham
Newham Dockside
1000 Dockside Road
London
E16 2QU
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