A 'Home Release Scheme' would try to free up bigger council houses for larger families
Council house tenants in part of Nottinghamshire are set to be offered grants of up to £2,500 if they downsize amid a demand for larger properties. Broxtowe Borough Council is proposing a series of updates to its housing policies, including changes to how people are prioritised on the council house register.
In a report to be presented before councillors at that meeting, the portfolio holder for housing at the council says: "The council offers secure "lifetime" tenancies to its tenants. During the course of any tenancy, circumstances can change that can affect living in the accommodation and its size."A common eventuality is that a family home allocated becomes under occupied as children move on with their lives away from the family home.
Figures from Broxtowe Borough Council show that there were are 346 applicants at of the end of September requiring a property with three or four bedrooms. But the council's housing management system also shows that there are 90 households that are currently under occupied. It comes as Broxtowe Borough Council is also proposing updates to its allocations policy, which covers those eligible to join its social housing register and how those people are prioritised. The changes cover groups including people discharged from hospital who can not return to their current accommodation because it is no longer suitable.