Fears over allocation of housing
11:26am Sunday 20th July 2008
INSUFFICIENT housing is a problem for those without children, a parish council has been told.
Marie Gundry, of Basingstoke Road, Kingsclere, spoke out at Kingsclere Parish Council's monthly meeting about the difficulties local people have with the borough council housing register when they want a home in their village.
At the meeting she said: "Our children have little or no hope of getting homes in our village. Every time a young mother with a child needs somewhere to live our children get pushed lower down the list.
"It's very frustrating for people who are over 30 and don't have children, like my son, who works hard but doesn't seem to get anywhere on the list."
Councillor Cathy Osselton, Basingstoke and Deane borough councillor for the Kingsclere ward, said at the meeting: "Kingsclere houses are for Kingsclere people and I'm spending all my time on housing."
She explained that the points system used by the borough council to allocate housing takes into account applicants' connection to the village.
According to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's housing department there are currently 190 applicants on the list for social housing in Kingsclere.
The council states that its policy in rural areas always gives priority to applicants who have an established local connection with the village, such as through previous residence, employment or the need to support a close relative.
However, the council will be introducing a new points scheme from April 2009.
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Jo Walke, says...
8:38pm Sun 20 Jul 08
These included 'time limits' on claiming a local connection due to prior residence (you have to live continuously for at least 3 years out of the prior ten) and to have an employment connection you need to work at least 16hours a week and where this is the only claim for a local connection the job must have been held for 12months - priority will be removed in the event of employment being lost.
To support a relative their literature states that you have to demonstrate a close and continuous relationship with that relative. Also that there is no other support in the locality and also profer letter of support from GP/medical or qualified health advisor or the relevant family member.
Rural communities tend to have a slower turn-over in social housing stock a)as people often dont move on and b)the stock is limited.
If a vacancy comes up and it's a three or even possibly a two bedroom then single people would be unlikely to be housed in them as it would be under-utilising the property - it may be that this is not allowed just as placing a family in a small property is not.
Transfering out of the borough is difficult as each council (and associations)has it's own housing issues but perhaps another way to elieviate this waiting list would be to see if anyone does want to move out of the borough - either into housing not currently used or by 'swapping' en masse with another borough eg 2-3's, 3-2's?
If Basingstoke adopts a 'bidding' system for housing you can sure expect even more housing thrills!!
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Carlos Tilbury, overton says...
1:26pm Sun 20 Jul 08
Well done Ms Gundry, you talk alot of sense, they replaced Cllr Morrison with someone else who doesnt understand how people like your son and myself fell, I'm 37 and live at home, when I spoke the to the housing dept they asked me why I should want a house as I live in a nice 3 bed house, well it doent actually belong to me!
The only needy cases on the list should be the homeless, elderly and people with special needs and victims of violence other than that we all the same.