5. Allocation Targets 2025-26 - Report
Renfrewshire Council · 11 March 2025
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 11 March 2025 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities and Housing Policy Board On: 11 March 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Renfrewshire Common Housing Allocation Policy – Council Allocation Targets for 2025/26 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Following approval by the Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board in January 2019, the Renfrewshire Common Housing Allocation Policy was implemented by the Council on 1 May 2019. The policy was reviewed during 2024, and a separate report updates the Board on the outcome of that review. 1.2 Applicants are placed in one of five groups according to their circumstances and targets are set for the proportion of lets to each of the groups. These targets are set and reviewed annually by the Council. This report contains the targets proposed for 2025/26. 1.3 To assist in setting the allocation targets, analysis of the lets over the previous 12 months was carried out and is summarised in this report ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Policy Board: i. Approve the Council’s allocation targets for 2025/26 as set out in section 4 of this report. ___________________________________________________________________
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3. Background 3.1 Housing applicants are placed into one of the following five groups based on their circumstances. Depending on the group applicants are placed in, a level of priority (‘A’ to ‘D’) may also be awarded. Targets are set for the proportion of lets to each group and as properties become available for let applicants are selected from the five groups according to the agreed targets. Statutory Homeless Group Mobility Group (general and transfer applicants) General Applicants Group (not landlord’s own tenants) Transfer Applicants Group - with housing need Transfer Applicants Group - no housing need Statutory homeless A critical need B urgent need C moderate need D no need A critical need B urgent need C moderate need D no need A critical need B urgent need C moderate need Based on date of application 3.2 The Council and its four local housing association partners within the Common Housing Allocation Policy (Bridgewater, Linstone, Paisley and Williamsburgh) use the same groups but each landlord sets its own targets, taking account of the profile of its own Housing List and stock profile. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Council Allocations Targets for 2025/26 4.1 The Council and other social landlords have a statutory duty to give reasonable preference to people in housing need (people who are statutorily homeless, living in unsatisfactory housing conditions and tenants of social landlords who are under occupying their current home). The targets set for each of the groups must take account of this duty. 4.2 The proposed targets for 2025/26 have been informed by analysis of the demand from those who are statutorily homeless, the Council’s housing list and lettings over the last few years. The current allocation policy has been in place since May 2019. A review of the policy was undertaken during 2024 and is the subject of a separate report to the Board. The key points to note from this analysis are: There were 4,964 applicants on the Council’s housing list at the end of the financial year 2023/24. The six-monthly figure for 2024/25 for applicants on the housing list was 5,271. The Council let 949 properties in 2023/24. The 6 monthly figure for 2024/25 was 604. Most lets are made through the Group system (514 lets, 76% in 2023/24). The 6 monthly figure for 2023/24 was 85%.
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The remaining 90 lets made out with the group system are: special lets, sheltered housing lets and lets associated with the approved housing regeneration programme. Within the Group system, 54% of lets went to statutory homeless applicants in 2023/24. The number of homeless lets at year end 2023/24 was 390 (up from 245 the previous year). 50.6% of group lets went to statutory homeless applicants in the first 6 months of 2024/25. Whilst this is below the target of 55%, this is due in the main to an above target percentage of lets going to mobility applicants, which reflects the type of properties which have been let. The number of homeless presentations at the end of 2023/24 was 1026. It is anticipated this will exceed 1100 by the end of March 2025 and it is expected the target of 55% will be met by the year end. Like all local authorities across Scotland, Renfrewshire is experiencing significant pressures in meeting demand for social housing. The Board have been advised throughout the year of pressures facing the service due to homelessness. Presentations continue to rise but to date the Service has dealt with the issues presented to it. Lets to Mobility applicants remain the same, at 10% of lets by the Council over the last three years. This figure is constrained by the suitability of available stock and a property-led approach is used to maximise opportunities to let suitable properties to applicants with mobility needs. Year-end figure for 2023/24 was 10% against a 10% target. The six- monthly figure for 2024/25 is 19.26%. Existing Council tenants are placed in one of two groups – Transfer Applicants with housing need who made up 11% of the applicants on the housing list at the six-month point and Transfer Applicants with no housing need who made up just over 9% of all applicants on the Council’s list at the six-month point. Applicants who are not currently Council tenants and are not homeless or have mobility needs, are placed within the General Applicants group. This is the largest group of applicants, currently representing around two-thirds of all applicants on the housing list. This group includes both people with housing need and with no housing need. The applicants with a housing need held in this group represent around 62% of all applicants on the housing list. 4.3 Taking account of the above information, and the duty to give reasonable preference to housing need, targets proposed for 2025/26 are set out in the table below: Group 23/24 24/25 Six-month 2025/26 Target Lets % Target Lets % Proposed target % Statutory Homeless 49% 55% 55% 50.58% 55%
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Group 23/24 24/25 Six-month 2025/26 Target Lets % Target Lets % Proposed target % Mobility 10% 10% 10% 19.26% 10% General Applicants (not landlord’s own tenant) 23% 24% 24% 21.79% 24% Transfer Applicants (with housing need) 15% 10% 10% 7.98% 10% Transfer Applicants (no housing need) 3% 1% 1% 0.39% 1% Total 100% 100% 100% 100.00% 100% 4.4 Summary of proposed targets: With the exception of the Mobility group lets, which have exceeded target, all of the other groups have been around their target figure and given the further increase in homeless applications again this year and associated pressures. We are confident that we will meet 55% of lets to homeless applicant by the year end and as such it would be fair and reasonable to retain the 55% target for the homeless group. Therefore, we intend to keep the targets as they are for the next year. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – Our Renfrewshire is thriving – Meeting the needs of housing applicants Building strong, safe and resilient communities – Creating strong communities in our approach to allocating homes 4. Legal – None. 5. Property/Assets – None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights – Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None.
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9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. COSLA Policy Position – None. 13. Climate Change – None. 14. Children’s Rights – None. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers The contact officer within the service is Ray Walkinshaw, Housing Regeneration and Development Manager, ray.walkinshaw@renfrewshire.gov.uk. Author: Ray Walkinshaw, Housing Regeneration and Development Manager 0141 487 2189 ray.walkinshaw@renfrewshire.gov.uk.