Cumbria Choice

Allerdale Borough Council

 

ALLERDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Local Lettings Policy

 

1.1      Cumbria Choice is the new way for Registered Providers to let properties across the county. The scheme allows registered applicants to choose where they want to live from the housing that is available. Properties will be advertised and the applicants can express an interest in the properties that meet their requirements. The applicant with the highest priority who has bid for a given property will be offered that property. 

1.2      However it is important that in certain parishes, only local people are allowed to bid for properties. A local lettings policy has been adopted by Allerdale Borough Council to enable applicants with a local connection to the parishes referred to in point 1.5 to be given priority over other applicants who have no local connection whatever Band the applicants has been placed into. 

1.3      The parishes where housing is to be restricted are: Cockermouth, Keswick, Borrowdale, Above Derwent, Lorton, Caldbeck, Underskiddaw, Bassenthwaite, St Johns, Castlerigg and Wythburn. 

1.4      These parishes have lost many properties through Right to Buy and the few remaining homes in these parishes are rarely available for re-letting to local people at an affordable rent. In addition, it is difficult to get planning permission in these parishes and therefore it has been agreed that when properties become empty they are only allocated to local people who have links with their community and who help contribute to a sustainable local community. 

1.5      To qualify for a property in these named parishes, the applicant must satisfy one of the following criteria: 

• currently resides in the parish in either temporary or permanent accommodation and has been resident in the parish for at least 6 out of the past 12 months or 3 out of the past 5 years.
• Is at present employed in the parish. The local authority should obtain confirmation from the employer that the person is in employment and that the employment is not of a casual nature.
• Has close family connection with someone who lives in the parish. Family connection means:  parents, adult children or brothers or sisters and foster carers or guardians who have been resident in the district for a period of at least 5 years.
• There are special circumstances which are considered to give rise to a local connection with the Local Authority area or specified parish. For example this would include ex-servicemen and serving members of the armed forces posted to the Local Authority area. 

1.6       Applicants will have to confirm that the details supplied are true and correct and no false information is supplied. If the Registered Provider grants a tenancy on the basis of information that is false, or misleading, steps will be taken to repossess the property.

 1.7             The policy may be extended and monitored in the future, if particular    parishes develop a greater housing need and if applicants who meet the above criteria begin to find it difficult to be allocated a home compared to applicants who have no qualifying criteria.

 

(Adopted by Allerdale Borough Council

13^th October 2011)

 

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