Care leavers and veterans among those to benefit from new housing allocations scheme in West Northants

15 November 2023

People with real housing needs including members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families, care leavers, and victims of domestic abuse will benefit from a new housing allocations scheme approved by Councillors at West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) Cabinet meeting last night (14 November).

The scheme, which will be adopted from April 2024, has been developed following a 10-week public consultation and will provide an aligned and harmonised approach to ensuring that the area’s valuable housing resources go to those most in need. 

The scheme will operate through a choice-based lettings system which enables residents to make choices about which properties they are interested in, making the provision of social housing fairer, clearer and more consistent across the West Northamptonshire area.

The proposed Scheme sets out who is eligible to apply for social rented housing, how the Council will prioritise applicants, and the basis on which accommodation will be allocated. It will replace the existing schemes operating in Daventry, South Northants, and Northampton and recognise people with a local connection to West Northants by residence, employment or close family in the eligibility criteria.

There are currently over 4000 applicants registered to and active on the existing three housing allocations scheme across West Northamptonshire. The new scheme has the potential to have a positive impact on existing and future applicants’ prospects of securing accommodation by providing a greater number of available properties across West Northamptonshire.

Existing housing register applicants will be contacted in the coming weeks with further information on what will be required to register for the new scheme.

We believe that having a decent home is a fundamental human right and as a council, we have a statutory duty to ensure that social and affordable housing is available to those who need it most.

This new scheme recognises people with the greatest need including those experiencing homelessness, those with complex health and welfare needs, victims of domestic abuse and those subject to exploitation, and also prioritises people who have a genuine connection to the area through employment or family.

By harmonising the existing policies we can ensure a fairer and more efficient service for people across the whole West Northants area and use our resources as effectively as possible to improve life chances for residents and continue to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive.Cllr Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of West Northamptonshire Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure

The Housing Allocations Scheme Cabinet Report can be viewed on the Council website.