Issue - meetings

This report  presents a revised Scheme and seeks permission from Cabinet to enter into the required engagement to notify those who will be affected of the changes proposed and how this will affect them and seek feedback from other key partners identified within the guidance supporting this area of work.

Please note that Appendix D is restricted to Members only as it contains legal advice.

(Report of Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health)

Consideration was given to a revised Housing Allocations Scheme which had been amended to reflect several significant changes in legislation including the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The opportunity was also taken to ensure that the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council Scheme was fit for purpose and legislatively correct.

Any changes to an allocations scheme required local authorities to engage with housing providers operating in the local area to ensure they had a reasonable opportunity to comment on the proposals.  In addition, the guidance advised that when an alteration was made which reflected a major change of policy then the local authority had to notify those affected by the changes and have the effect of that change brought to their attention.

Particular reference was made to the implementation of new IT systems used by Kent Homechoice Partnership for the administration of the Housing Register.  As  a result, it was proposed that the launch of the Housing Allocations Scheme was delayed until late Spring 2023 to co-ordinate with these changes.

After careful consideration of the legal implications, the financial and value for money considerations and the equality impact assessment, the Cabinet RESOLVED that:

(1)             the draft Housing Allocations Scheme (set out at Appendix B) be approved;

(2)             responsibility for agreeing and implementing the final version of the Scheme, following the required engagement, be delegated to the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing; and

(3)             the implementation of the new Scheme in line with the implementation of the new housing system, due to be launched in Spring 2023, be approved.

Decision Notice: D220081CAB

Consideration was given to a revised Housing Allocations Scheme which had been amended to reflect several significant changes in legislation including the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The opportunity was also taken to ensure that the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council Scheme was fit for purpose and legislatively correct.

Any changes to an allocations scheme required local authorities to engage with housing providers operating in the local area to ensure they had a reasonable opportunity to comment on the proposals.  In addition, the guidance advised that when an alteration was made which reflected a major change of policy then the local authority had to notify those affected by the changes and have the effect of that change brought to their attention.

Particular reference was made to the implementation of new IT systems used by Kent Homechoice Partnership for the administration of the Housing Register.  As  a result, it was proposed that the launch of the Housing Allocations Scheme was delayed until late Spring 2023 to co-ordinate with these changes.

After careful consideration of the legal implications, the financial and value for money considerations and the equality impact assessment the Cabinet

RESOLVED: That

(1)             the draft Housing Allocations Scheme (set out at Appendix B) be approved;

(2)             responsibility for agreeing and implementing the final version of the Scheme, following the required engagement, be delegated to the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing; and

(3)             the implementation of the new Scheme in line with the implementation of the new housing system, due to be launched in Spring 2023, be approved.