Issue - meetings
De-designation of 40+ accommodation - year 5 report
Meeting: 09/03/2016 - Housing Panel (Panel of the Scrutiny Committee) (Item 37)
37 De-designation of 40+ accommodation - year 5 report 
PDF 118 KB
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Background information |
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In 2009, the Communities & Partnership Scrutiny Committee set up a Panel to consider the number and type of properties that were designated to only be let to persons over 40 years of age. This review sought to address a mismatch between the low amount of one bedroom council accommodation available to those under 40, and the large number of such households in housing need.
The City Executive Board on 12/1/11 approved the phased implementation of the de-designation of most of the Council’s designated 40+ properties over a 5 year period; this began on 1/4/11. The Panel has received annual updates, most recently on 29 April 2014.
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Why is it on the agenda? |
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To provide a year 5 update to the Panel on the de-designation of 40+ accommodations.
Report to follow.
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Who has been invited to comment? |
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Tom Porter, Allocations Manager.
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Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Allocations Manager introduced the report and explained that this was the final year of a five year programme of de-designating most of the Council’s properties that were designated to persons aged 40 years and over.
The Panel questioned the levels of incentives available to people who may wish to downsize and heard that these were comparable with those offered by other local authorities in the region. Incentives were not always the key issue and the quality of accommodation and support with moving were more important to many people. Council officers would be actively seeking views of tenants who were under-occupying larger properties in Barton and using this information to help to inform new developments nearby at Barton Park.
In response to a question about bungalows, the Panel heard that these types of developments were relatively low density but Council officers are exploring options to develop new bungalows in small infill sites.
The Panel noted the report and agreed:
· To request a report to scrutiny on under-occupation in the Council’s housing stock and incentives and support for downsizing.
· That information previously requested on Choice Based Lettings refusal reasons would include details of requests to make minor adaptions to Council properties.