Further to Minute 29 of the meeting held on 14 March 2018, the Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report that gave an update on the decision to remove the age criteria from the Council’s general needs housing stock (non-sheltered) and sought approval to replace the remaining age-designated properties with local lettings policies where appropriate.

The report explained that this would allow properties to be available for those most in need whilst protecting those that were most vulnerable. The local lettings policies would include criteria that was specific to the issues in a local area by ensuring that suitable letting was carried out in a more targeted way, focusing on the specific needs of individuals and communities.  This approach allowed for flexibility to introduce local lettings policies should issues or concerns arise in other blocks not previously age designated in order to protect older people within our communities.  Where local lettings policies were required to replace age criteria, they would be developed to be specific to the needs of individual blocks and would take into account the views of the Lead Councillor for Housing and Ward Members.  The policies would be regularly reviewed, normally annually, to ensure their ongoing effectiveness and to determine whether they were still required.

Resolved:

(1)      That age criteria be removed from the remaining age-designated general needs housing stock (non-sheltered) and replaced with local lettings policies where it was appropriate to do so;

(2)      That where local lettings policies were required to replace age criteria, they would be developed in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Housing and Ward Councillors.