Agenda Reports Pack (Public) 15/10/2012, 19.00 - Meetings ...

SexThe Housing Strategy is intended to increase the amount of affordablehousing for both intermediate and affordable rented purposes. In March 2012,57% percent of the main applicants were women. On the Housing Register,63% of the main applicants were women. Increasing the provision ofaffordable housing – bother intermediate and affordable rented – are likely tohave positive impacts on men and women but on women proportionately morein line with their representation in the statistics.H +SexualOrientationThe Housing Strategy is not expected to have any impacts on lesbian, gay,bisexual or heterosexual people.LNeutralHuman Rights and Children’s RightsWill it affect Human Rights, as defined by the Human Rights Act 1998?NoPage 494Will it affect Children’s Rights, as defined by the UNCRC (1992)?NoThe Housing Allocation Scheme sets out the Council’s approach to prioritising housing applicants foraccommodation. The Council will only be permitting applicants who meet one or more of the ‘reasonablepreference’ criteria and a five year local connection to qualify for the Housing Register. By using these twoqualifying criteria, the Council is in effect only giving priority to housing applicants who have a localconnection with the borough and are in housing need, as defined in legislation. The over-arching equalityimpacts are likely to be positive as those who are in housing need are more likely to be drawn from theprotected groups than under current Housing Allocation Scheme. Whilst continuing to meet its statutoryhomelessness obligations, the Council intends to give greater priority to applicants who are making a communitycontribution, such as working households and ex armed service personnel. The Council also intends to changethe council’s choice based lettings approach to a ‘assisted choice’ approach which is broadly similar to historic‘direct lettings’ approaches, with the caveat that successful applicants will be made two offers (with discretion fora third). The Council also intends to adopt Local Lettings Plans in specific areas designed to address certainissues such as overcrowding; high concentrations of poverty; and local ‘swaps’ of homes to help improve localsustainability. The intention of the Council to continue adopting Annual Lettings Plans is set out in the HousingAllocation Scheme. Such Plans identifies quotas for cohorts of housing needs, e.g., supporting people;homeless; children leaving care; households in work; etc. Where adjustments are made that clearly advantagecertain (non protected groups to the detriment of other (protected) groups, then these impacts will need to beTool and Guidance updated for new PSED from 05.04.2011