Call for people of Sheffield to have their say on how council houses are allocated

A proactive review of the way council houses are allocated to those who need them is taking place – and now the people of Sheffield are being asked to give their views on how that should be done.

At today’s (Thursday 5^th December) Housing Policy Committee, it was agreed that a public consultation should take place on changes to the Council’s Allocations Policy to gather the views of people living in the city.

This early consultation is not just for those who are currently council tenants or are waiting to be allocated a council property. All those who call Sheffield home are being encouraged to have their say.

The purpose of council housing is to provide safe, secure and affordable housing.

People with an assessed housing need are placed into priority bands A-C, depending on the level of urgency. Those without a recognised housing need are placed into Bands D or E.

The number of households who are awarded a priority need for social housing has doubled since before the COVID-19 pandemic. That huge demand mirrors the national picture. There is also a need to ensure the Council’s adapted properties are being allocated to those who need them the most.

Approximately 70 priority rehousing requests are made each week in Sheffield, with 45 of these being from homeless applicants, demonstrating the homelessness crisis currently taking place in the city.

The requirement for those in one of these priority categories is outstripping the number of properties advertised, with the average length of time for an offer – even with a priority award - doubling since the pandemic from three to seven months. It continues to increase, with around 2,689 priority requests over a 12-month period.

Demand on temporary accommodation for people in need is also increasing, meaning many of these ‘general needs’ properties are having to be used as temporary accommodation to ease that pressure. The financial impact of this is considerable.

The proactive review of the Allocations Policy is being carried out to improve things for everyone – our tenants, prospective tenants and those who work in the Council’s Housing Service. A two-stage approach has been recommended that will gather views on how to allocate properties moving forward through this consultation and use them to draft the new policy. This will then be taken to a full consultation in 2025 before the Housing Policy Committee vote on whether to approve it.

The process is expected to take around 12 months.

There are currently around 25,000 people registered to bid on the city’s 38,500 council properties. While properties are advertised every week, the fierce competition to bid for them means many are left waiting for some time before gaining access to a new home.

Cllr Douglas Johnson, Chair of the Housing Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said:

“We want to support people to be able to maintain tenancies, and we want to give people better and fairer access to the houses that we've got in our portfolio.

“This is the first round of consultation, and we want everyone to have their say on how Council properties are allocated.

“We are contacting all those currently on the Council housing register as any decision may have an impact on them - and we want them to have a say. We will also reach out to community groups and all those with an interest in this sector.

“Sheffield is facing the same pressures on its council housing and the same extent of homelessness and overspending on temporary accommodation as other local authorities nationally.

“While we also have plenty of work going on to either build or acquire properties to boost our Council house stock, this important piece of work will ensure we make the best use of the properties we already have.”

More information on where residents can take part in the consultation will be posted on the Council’s social media channels in due course.