Purpose

Currently to place a customer
into the emergency band, customers must first be assessed by the
council as statutorily overcrowded under Pt 10 Housing Act 1985, or
because of the council serving a Prohibition Order or Suspended
Prohibition Order.
 
Such an assessment is a lengthy
process that requires a far-reaching assessment by the private
sector housing team. Delays in the ability to deliver such
assessments are resulting in people remaining in a lower band and
missing out on moving to a higher band that could see them housed
in appropriately sized accommodation more quickly. 
 
The policy amend will enable
the housing allocations team to make a desk-based assessment and
award a higher appropriate to their size needs, and then forward
the details to the private sector housing team who can choose to
investigate based on the customer’s circumstances/their
statutory duties, and whether the customer remains in the
property.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Housing & Local
Plan approved the amendment to the housing allocations scheme
(www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/allocationscheme) to better support
customers who are living in potentially overcrowded
accommodation.