Cumbria Choice

South Lakeland DC

Local lettings policy for South Lakeland District Council area

Introduction

This is a summary of the Local Lettings Policy for use in the district of South Lakeland as referred to in para 5.13 of the Cumbria Choice Allocation Policy.

The full policy can be viewed on South Lakeland District Council’s website.

 Which properties are covered by the policy ?

• The South Lakeland Local letting policy only applies to Council houses and bungalows in towns and villages in the following places. 

Area	Settlements containing Council  homes covered by Local letting policy
Lakes	Ambleside, Bowness, Chapel Stile, Elterwater, Grasmere, Windermere
High Furness	Bouth, Broughton Beck, Broughton in Furness, Coniston, Finisthwaite, Hawkshead, Kirkby in Furness, Penny Bridge, Satterthwaite, Spark Bridge,
Ulverston & Low Furness	Gleaston, Leece, Little Urswick, Great Urswick, Swarthmoor,
Grange & Cartmel	Allithwaite, Backbarrow, Cark in Cartmel, Cartmel, Flookburgh, Haverthwaite, Lindale,
South Westmorland	Arnside, Beetham, Burton, Crook, Crooklands, Crosscrake, Crosthwaite, Endmoor, Farleton, Hincaster, Holme, Levens, Lupton, Mealbank, Meathop, Milnthorpe, Natland, Newbiggin, Oxenholme, Sedgwick, Stainton, Storth, Witherslack
Sedbergh & Kirkby Lonsdale	Barbon, Casterton, Dent, Kirkby Lonsdale,Sedbergh,
Upper Kent	Burneside, Grayrigg, Ings, New Hutton, Old Hutton, Staveley

 It does not apply in the towns of Kendal, Ulverston and Grange over Sands.

• Sheltered Housing is not included in this local lettings policy. 
• It does not apply to most Housing Associations properties in South Lakeland which are already subject to a Covenant or Section 106 Agreement (Town and Country Planning Act 1990). The local occupancy restriction in the s106 or Covenant will continue to apply under Choice Based Lettings and will be detailed in the advert for the property.

 Who gets priority under the Local Letting scheme?

When there is a house or bungalow to let in the places named in table 1 above priority will be given to applicants with a local connection to the Local Area Partnership area where the property is located.  The following table shows the parishes in each LAP area.  

Local Area Partnership	Parishes included in LAP area
Lakes	Lakes, Windermere, Skelwith.
High Furness	Coniston, Torver, Satterthwaite, Claife, Hawkshead, Duddon, Kirkby Ireleth, Colton, Lowick, Blawith & Subberthwaite, Egton with Newlands, Mansriggs, Osmotherley.
Ulverston & Low Furness	Aldingham, Pennington, Urswick, Ulverston
Grange & Cartmel	Haverthwaite, Lower Allithwaite, Lower Holker, Grange-over-Sands, Broughton East, Upper Allithwaite, Staveley-in-Cartmel.
South Westmorland	Burton-in-Kendal, Hincaster, Holme, Lupton, Hutton Roof, Arnside, Beetham, Preston Patrick, Preston Richard, Sedgwick, Stainton, Natland, Milnthorpe, Heversham, Crosthwaite & Lyth, Witherslack, Meathop & Ulpha, Helsington, Levens, Crook, Underbarrow & Bradleyfield .
Sedbergh & Kirkby Lonsdale	Kirkby Lonsdale, Mansergh, Casterton, Barbon, Middleton, Dent, Garsdale, Sedbergh, Killington, Firbank.
Upper Kent	Longsleddale, Fawcett Forest, Whitwell & Selside, Whinfell, Docker, Lambrigg, Grayrigg, New Hutton, Old Hutton & Holmescales, Burneside, Skelsmergh & Scalthwaiterigg, Kentmere, Staveley-with-Ings.

Further detail about priority

When a home from the settlements above is advertised priority will be given to the applicants from the local area partnership area over other applicants with no local connection to the LAP area whatever band the applicant has been placed in.

The person with the highest priority from Bands A to E who also had a local connection to the Local Area Partnership area would normally be the successful applicant.  This is subject to the house size and type being suitable for the needs of the applicant.

Applicants from outside the Local Area Partnership would only be considered in the case when no one from the relevant LAP area who is eligible requests the property. 

Definition of local connection

An applicant has a local connection to the locality of the LAP if any of the following circumstances apply 

• The intended household has, immediately prior to such approval, been continuously resident in the locality for three years; or
• The intended household has, immediately prior to such approval, been permanently employed or has a firm permanent job offer in the locality. Permanent employment will be taken to include contracts for a minimum of one year’s continuous employment, and the self-employed, on provision of evidence of a viable business; or
• They are currently in the Armed Forces, in prison, in hospital or similar accommodation whose location is beyond their control, and immediately before moving to this type of accommodation they lived in the locality for at least three years; or
• Former residents (who previously lived in the locality for a period of at least three years) who wish to return to the locality having completed a post-secondary (tertiary) education course within the past three years; or
• They need to live in the locality either because they are ill and/or need support from a relative who lives in the, or because they need to give support to a relative who is ill and/or needs support who lives in the locality. Proof of illness and/or need of support will be required from a medical doctor or relevant statutory support agency; or
• They previously lived in the locality for most of their lives and left the locality less than ten years ago (“Most of the applicant’s life” will be interpreted as over half of the applicant’s life up to the point that they left the locality, or a continuous period of twenty years up to the point they left the locality); or
• They lived continuously in the locality for two years or more prior to being accepted as homeless under the Homelessness Act 2003 and placed in any form of temporary accommodation outside of the locality for up to a maximum of two years  
• They spent at least ten years of their school education in the locality but who left the locality over ten years ago.