Agenda item - Housing Allocation Policy Review

Report of the Strategic Director; Place together with an extract from the proceedings of the Housing Management Consultation Committee meeting held on the 19^th March 2012 (copies attached).

247.1    The Chair introduced the report which reviewed the allocation of housing in the city to care leavers who were a vulnerable group that required support.

247.2    Councillor Wakefield stated that the report had resulted from concerns raised by this group of vulnerable people took account of the results of a public consultation exercise that took place between November and December last year.  It was recommended that care leavers should be awarded Band A priority for social housing following a case conference which would identify the support package required for each individual.  She noted that the council had a corporate parenting responsibility towards these people and hoped that this would enable the council to meet this responsibility.

247.3    Councillor Mitchell stated that she fully supported the report.

247.4    The Chair noted the comments and thanked the Labour & Co-operative Group for working with the Administration in putting the amendment to the report at the Housing Consultative Committee meeting that considered the matter on the 4^th April.  He then put the recommendations to the vote.

247.5    RESOLVED: That the Council be recommended:

(1)         That the proposals set out in paragraphs 3.22 to 3.28 in the report and also Appendix 3 to the report be approved;

(2)         That the Strategic Director, Place, be authorised to amend the Council's Housing Allocations policy to reflect the above changes; and

(3)         That the Strategic Director Place and the Strategic Director People, be authorised to take all steps necessary or incidental to the implementation of the proposals in paragraphs 3.22 to 3.28, including making appropriate arrangements for assessments, referrals and reporting to Members as suggested in paragraphs 3.14 and 3.24 of the report.