Issue - meetings

Report of Councillor N Barker, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Finance

RESOLVED – That

1.     Cabinet agreed the proposed amendments and adopted the draft policy.

2.     Cabinet agreed the implementation date of 1 April 2026, except for the  flexible Tenancy amendment which will be withdrawn immediately as this type of tenancy is no longer in use.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

Cabinet considered a report which summarised the key proposed amendments to the Council’s Choice Based Lettings and Allocations Policy. The report explained that a review had been carried out to ensure the policy was meeting the needs of the districts residents and incorporated any new legislative changes. As a result, several key amendments had been proposed, which were attached to the report at Appendix 1. The full draft policy which included the proposed amendments was attached to the report at Appendix 2.

The report also detailed the results of a public consultation on the proposed amendments, attached at Appendix 3.

Cabinet discussed the report. It was clarified that where armed forces were mentioned in the full draft policy, veterans were included. Cabinet agreed that the proposed amendments brought the policy up to date.

RESOLVED – That

1.     Cabinet agreed the proposed amendments and adopted the draft policy.

2.     Cabinet agreed the implementation date of 1 April 2026, except for the  flexible Tenancy amendment which will be withdrawn immediately as this type of tenancy is no longer in use.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The amendments will ensure that the Council continues to operate a robust policy which enables Rykneld Homes Limited to allocate the council’s housing stock to those in most need in the most effective and transparent way. It will also allow the Council to make best use of its housing stock and help with antisocial behaviour. The policy was last reviewed in October 2022, with minimal amendments, therefore a full review was due in October 2025.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

An alternative option was not to amend the policy, however this would not resolve the issues identified, therefore this was rejected as an unviable option. The current policy is due to expire, therefore conducting a review in 2025 is essential, therefore not to review the policy at this time was rejected.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

Councillor Kevin Gillott returned to the meeting.