Apologies were received from Councillor Derek Scudder.

There were no disclosures of interest

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 September 2014 to be submitted and signed.

Copies of the minutes of this meeting are usually available seven working days following the meeting.

(All minutes are available on the Council’s website.)

The minutes of the meeting held on 1^st September 2014 were submitted and signed.

A report of the Housing Section Head

Cabinet received a report from the Housing Section Head regarding the Housing Nomination Policy which set out who could apply for a housing association home in Watford and how housing applications would be assessed, prioritised and managed. 

The Portfolio Holder for Housing introduced the report and explained that the policy had been discussed and developed over the last two years and that the Housing Policy Advisory Group had been instrumental in bringing the policy forward.  There had been a consultation on the policy with residents, partners and officers.

The policy sought to ration a scarce resource to where it could make most impact within the community.  It was an opportunity to prioritise local people for local homes as nearly half of current Band E applicants lived outside Watford.

The Portfolio Holder described how other local authorities within Hertfordshire had similar policies in place.  The Council would still nominate to Herts Choice Homes vacancies and also continue to require affordable housing to be built in new developments.

The impact of the new policy would be to direct less officer time in registering housing applications and instead give more time for officers to assist residents in applying for the housing options most relevant to their needs.

The Council would continue to work with private landlords to improve standards and also to support voluntary sector partners to help rough sleepers.  The Council was working to improve the temporary accommodation it could offer.

In response to a question from Councillor Watkin the Housing Section Head explained that there were a number of different ways to measure housing need nationally.  Officers would encourage people to look at other housing options rather than spending time trying to improve their position on the housing list.

The Mayor commented that the previous policy had implied expectations which were unrealistic, the new policy would be more open and honest.

Councillor Bell asked a question regarding how Watford Borough Council’s policy would compare to other neighbouring authorities.  The Housing Section Head responded that other authorities made decisions about their policies based on local circumstances.  In respect of the minimum amount of time required to have a residency connection, the ‘five years’ condition in the Watford policy was towards the upper end required in Hertfordshire.  However, it was 10 years in Dacorum and in some London Boroughs.  There was a need for a balance to be found between reasonable and practical.  There had been a consensus on the five year residency connection by the cross party Housing Policy Advisory Group.

The Head of Community and Customer Services responded to a question from Councillor Bell by explaining that it would not be necessary to ask for further funding as the Council receives an annual Homelessness Grant which was £274,000 this year.

Following a question from the Mayor, the Housing Section Head described how Herts Choice Homes still had a strong role and benefits for the partnership.  It provided cost savings and best practice and enabled a choice based system rather than  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.