London council set to tighten restrictions on eligibility for council homes
A council in London is re-vamping their letting scheme to give vulnerable locals quick access to council homes in the area.
Set to be discussed at a council meeting on 12th January, Islington Council has proposed plans to remove perpetrators of domestic abuse and households who have an income of £90K from their housing register in a bid to provide homes to people who need them the most.
The local authority currently has 15,000 people on its waiting list and said it is likely to be able to provide council homes for 1,000 households a year.
With the original letting scheme announced in 2020, Islington have claimed their updated version aims to introduce ‘a greater degree of flexibility to reflect local circumstances on our local lettings scheme on new-build council homes to strengthen the local community benefit as well as to maximise the wider chain of benefit from new homes.’
This means people inflicting domestic abuse, violent or controlling behaviour towards a resident in the borough ‘will not be permitted to join the housing register.’
Citizens that are trying to escape dangerous homes will receive extra priority points and there will be more support for those at risk of homelessness.
As well as prioritising people in dangerous housing situations, the council has also stated plans to help locals who have lived in Islington for five years+ who have joined the housing register.
Cllr Una O’Halloran, Executive Member for Housing, said: ‘The new housing allocation scheme needs to be fair and transparent, but recognising the council is required to ration a scarce and valuable resource to build the successful and stable communities of tomorrow.
‘The new housing allocations scheme will design a framework which enables the council to look at the housing needs of households through the lens of treating every household as if they are an important member of our own families.’
In addition to Islington helping domestic violence victims find safer places to live, Liverpool Council have recently announced their first, three-year Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, which pledges to help various social groups across the city, including young girls and students who have experienced domestic abuse.
Likewise, Liverpool Council have received an extra £846K in funding from the Safer Streets campaign to improve the cities safety and reduce fear of crime at night.
Photo by Adrian Raudaschl