A NEW social housing register is coming to Redditch this spring.
‘Redditch Homes’ will use the latest housing policies and a new improved system and website to allocate social homes to people in Redditch Borough.
The borough currently has some 1,500 applications for social housing registered on its books.
It is expected to start replacing the current register, Redditch Home Choice, in May.
“This much-needed update will enable us to allocate social homes to the people who need them most, better than ever,” said Councillor Craig Warhurst Redditch Borough Council’s portfolio holder for housing.
“What it doesn’t change is the fact that demand continues to outstrip supply and we need to be frank about that.
“Many more people want a social home than there are homes to go around, and the old system frustrated many people who felt a ‘silver’ banding meant they would have a better chance than in reality they did.
“Redditch Homes will provide applicants with a much clearer picture of how priority is given for the borough’s limited supply of social homes.
“Redditch Homes also rightly gives preference to key workers and armed forces in recognition of their service to the community, and requires that applicants have a local connection to Redditch.”
The borough council is now writing to all the over 1,500 people on the current register with advance details of the coming change, which will mean different outcomes for many people when they re-apply to go on the new register.
And it says the highest priority bands in its all-new simplified six band system will be unavailable to people who have had enforcement action taken against them for breaches of tenancy conditions such as non-payment of rent or anti-social behaviour.
The new register will also automatically allocate homes in line with current national housing benefit rules.
This includes allocating one bedroom per two siblings to share until the eldest’s 10th birthday, or 16th birthday where the siblings are of the same sex, with discretion for exceptional circumstances.
