Decision

It was moved by Councillor Webb, seconded by Councillor M Thomas and

RESOLVED that Cabinet is requested to:-

1. Bring forward, as part of the March 2027 annual review of the Homechoice Allocations Scheme, proposals for a published Cornwall Homechoice prospects dashboard: a regularly updated, plain English picture of the register which could include, but is not limited to, the number of households waiting by band and bedroom need, the number of homes let and to which bands, and typical waiting times by area and property size, the number of homes delivered in the previous 12 months and expected to be delivered in the following 12 months by area and property tenure type, and how those figures compare with identified housing need on the register, without adding extra complexity, with the detail and format a matter for the Cabinet and officers, so that applicants can understand their realistic prospects, make informed decisions about their own housing options, and experience less of the friction and uncertainty the register currently creates.
2. Endorse the principle that the allocations framework should recognise the impact of overcrowding on family relationships and private life, including circumstances where parents have no bedroom apart from their children, and ask that the annual review of the Homechoice Common Assessment Framework considers this, noting officers’ confirmation that the legislation does not prevent the Council giving additional preference over and above the statutory minimum.
3. Request that the Council’s response to the Government’s forthcoming consultation on updated statutory guidance on social housing allocations presses for recognition of family privacy and relationships in the assessment of overcrowding, and for a review of the statutory overcrowding standard, which has remained unchanged since 1935.
4. Ask that the March 2027 annual review of the Homechoice Allocations Scheme considers how applicants with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities, are identified and supported throughout the Homechoice process, including the consistent recording and provision of reasonable adjustments and access to face-to-face assistance where telephone or digital communication creates a barrier; and, noting that reasonable adjustments are an existing duty under the Equality Act 2010 and that applicants are facing these barriers today, invite officers and the Homechoice Partnership to bring forward any improvements that can be delivered ahead of the review, within existing resources, rather than waiting for it.