Improved service for social housing applicants

Keyways - Wellingborough Council's 'choice based lettings' scheme - went live in November last year and aimed to give social housing applicants greater choice as they could select actual properties within a specific area.

The Keyways system, which is run in partnership with Kettering and Corby councils, works on a banding process, with those in the greatest housing need being placed in the highest of the four bands (band A) and those with no housing need placed in the lowest band (band D). Available properties are then advertised on a weekly basis and applicants can 'bid' for - express an interest in - properties they are eligible for. Applicants can bid on a maximum of two properties each week and the successful bidder will be the household in the highest band that has been in that band the longest. If they chose not to accept the property it is offered to the next eligible bidder.

Members of the council's community committee will hear at a meeting next week how 230 applicants have been housed since the scheme was launched, and 84% of applicants found registering and applying for housing easy. The scheme is designed to be accessed as much as possible online, and the report shows that 99% of bids were placed via the website.

The Keyways progress report also makes recommendations for further improvements in the system, and members of the committee will be discussing proposed changes such as revising the banding system and removing the band D category from the scheme.

Cllr Peter Morrall, chairman of the community committee said: "It is very encouraging that the Keyways scheme has received such positive feedback and it looks like it's working well for the majority of our social housing applicants. Any respondent to our survey who expressed difficulty in using the system will be contacted and offered advice and assistance.

"But we don't want to become complacent and we're still looking at ways to further improve the scheme. That's why we're recommending that the band D category be removed. Our housing waiting list currently stands at 1,684 applicants and 737 or 44% of those have no housing need and would be better off being offered advice and alternative options. By removing this category from the register it would allow our team to spend more time with those in the greatest housing need and give those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness the opportunity to have a face-to-face appointment."

Wellingborough Council's community committee meets on Monday 20 June at 7pm.