Council proposes to give higher housing priority to those leaving its care

Southwark, which is also planning to give additional preference to those experiencing domestic abuse, said it was making the changes to “help ensure council homes go to people who need them most”. Its consultation on the proposals will run until 1 June.

There are more than 18,000 people on the housing waiting list in Southwark, including more than 4,000 households in temporary accommodation.

Currently, the waiting time for a property ranges from nearly five years for a two bedroom to more than seven years for homes with more than five bedrooms. Each year, fewer than 10% of applicants are offered social housing.

The council’s allocations scheme sets out how it allocates its council homes. The current scheme was introduced in 2014.

Proposed changes include that people working in Southwark, but not living locally, will not automatically qualify for social housing.

Currently, applicants are placed into one of four priority bands. They are given ‘priority stars’ for a variety of reasons, including being homeless, suffering with severe medical or welfare issues, and living in severely overcrowded or unsanitary conditions.

Priority stars are also given to those who are working or volunteering. The council is proposing to remove this.

“The council still encourages households to seek employment, and be of value to the community, when this is possible, but these are not related to a need for housing,” the consultation document said.

It is also proposing to remove the remaining priority stars and, instead, to include these as criteria within the new proposed bands to “allow for a clear and simple scheme”.

The council is proposing a new priority band: replacing one to four with bands A to E.

A new category is being introduced in band A for single homeless adults who are being supported through the Housing First scheme to move on from rough sleeping.

Council tenants who need an urgent move will now be managed separately by landlord services officers and not be included in the top band. This also applies to applicants with a right of succession.

“A new policy for this is being developed and priority for these applicants will be protected until the new policy is in place,” according to the document.

Applicants who need to move because of domestic abuse or violence, including those living in a refuge in the borough, will be placed in band B, along with those who need to move urgently on medical or welfare grounds, such as a serious threat to the well-being of a child.

Those who are part of a multi-agency public protection agreement will also be placed in band B.

Band C will include applicants whose current housing situation is temporary, such as having to live with family or friends who are not able to accommodate them permanently.

Band D will include all other homeless households in Southwark that are not assessed as being in band C, while band E will include all those assessed as having a low housing need, who do not meet the criteria of the other bands.

Applications will no longer be ‘demoted’ to the lowest band as a penalty in certain circumstances.

Currently, people can be dropped down to the lowest band (4) if they are assessed as “not being suitable to be a tenant, for example due to significant rent arrears or anti-social behaviour”.

Sarah King, Southwark’s cabinet member for council homes, said: “We’ve updated our proposed allocations scheme to give priority to those most in need, including for example young adults leaving the care of Southwark Council, and for people who are escaping domestic violence.

“Our proposed scheme is now open for consultation and we welcome your views. All feedback will be carefully considered.”

Last year, Southwark scrapped its direct housing allocation policy after a legal challenge from residents.

The council admitted its plan to directly allocate properties to people waiting for housing “goes against our values of openness and transparency”.