Proposed Common Housing Allocation Scheme for Tameside

Have Your Say

Tameside Council is proposing a new Common Housing Allocation Scheme that would bring together most social housing in Tameside under a single application process. 

Under the proposal, applicants would apply once, join a single housing register, and bid for available properties through a Choice Based Lettings system. 

Before any decision is made, we want to hear the views of residents, housing applicants, tenants, partner organisations and other stakeholders. 

The survey on the Proposed Common Housing Allocation Scheme for Tameside can be found here.

A copy of the draft Policy can also be found here. Please note that the final version may be changed subject to consultation feedback.

Why are we proposing a change?  

At present, Tameside operates a housing register that allocates social housing through a nomination process. Tameside MBC does not own or directly manage housing stock. Instead, social housing is owned and managed by Private Providers of Social Housing, often known as Housing Associations. 

A proportion of properties owned and managed by Private Providers of Social Housing are made available to the Council. Tameside operates a waitlist of social housing applicants. When a property becomes available, the council nominates an applicant from the waitlist, based on housing need and priority.  

Properties are not advertised publicly, and applicants cannot choose which homes they wish to be considered for. In addition, Private Providers of Social Housing operate their own waitlists independent of the Council waitlist. This means that accessing social housing is fragmented, with some being reserved for the council waitlist, and others managed separate by housing associations.  

The Council wants to work with private providers of social housing to pool together the available housing stock and manage allocations all together, using a single common allocations process. We also propose to move from a process where the council nominates waitlist applicants and instead allow applicants to view available properties online and ‘bid’ on the properties they would like to be selected for suing an online choice-based lettings website.  

The Housing Allocations Policy: 

The current Tameside Housing Policy will be replaced with a new version. Participating providers of social housing will also replace their schemes within Tameside Borough with the common policy below: 
Link to full Housing Policy 
Please note that the link above is a draft version of the Policy and may be changed subject to consultation feedback.

Who are the participating Housing Providers? 

The following registered providers would provide housing under the common allocations scheme: 

1. Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council  

2. Ashton Pioneer Homes Limited   

3. Jigsaw Homes Tameside  

4. Onward Homes 

5. Regenda 

6. Irwell Valley Homes 

7. Accent Housing 

8. Your Housing Group 

9. Mosscare St Vincent 

10. Guinness Partnership 

11. Great Places 

12. Southway Wythenshsaw Homes 

How would it work? 

Under this proposal, there would be one application form, one housing register and one website where available social housing properties across Tameside would be advertised. Applicants would be able to view available homes and place bids on properties they are eligible for.  

Tameside Council (and registered provider partners) would adopt an ’open advertising’ approach whereby all applicants and interested members of the wider local population can find out about vacancies which are advertised on a public website. 

Of all the applicants who express and interest or ‘bid’ for a property, the property would be offered to the greatest housing need (the highest Band) and the who has been waiting the longest. If the property is not suitable, for example it has more bedrooms than the applicant needs they would not be able to ‘bid’. 

What about existing applicants?  

Understanding the New Priority Bands 
Many housing providers in Tameside currently use different banding systems to assess housing need. Under the proposed Common Housing Allocation Scheme, all participating housing providers would use the same priority bands and assessment criteria. 

If the new scheme is introduced, existing applicants will be reassessed against the new common criteria and allocated a band that reflects their current housing need. 

Important: A change in band name does not necessarily mean a change in housing priority. 
For example, many applicants who are currently placed in Band 1 under existing schemes may be placed in Band B under the proposed scheme. This is because the new scheme introduces a higher Band A, which is reserved for a very small number of exceptional emergency cases requiring immediate housing intervention. Thes circumstances fall outside of the current banding framework. Under the new scheme they will be integrated as 'Band A'.  

In most cases, applicants placed in Band B would have the same level of housing priority that they currently receive in Band 1. Existing waiting time will also be protected and carried across to the new scheme. 

The aim of the new banding structure is to create a single, fair and transparent system that is applied consistently across all participating housing providers. 

For full details of the priority bands and eligibility criteria, please refer to the draft policy. 

Potential Benefits of the Proposed Scheme  

A common housing allocation scheme would potentially:  

1. Improve coordination between Tameside Council and participating registered providers. 
2. For applicants and social housing tenants, provide a single point of access and give more choice.  
3. For Tameside Council, provide a more reliable assessment of housing need in the district, and enable the best use to be made of existing stock.  
4. For registered providers, reduce cost and complexity associated with being involved in their own scheme and deal dealing with Tameside Council nominations.  
5. For Tameside Council and registered providers, enable the sharing of cost associated with administering housing allocation functions.  

A choice-based letting scheme would potentially:  

1. Give applicants more of a say and a greater choice over the accommodation which they are allocated.  
2. Continue to ensure that the primary purpose of social housing is to meet housing need.  
3. Help ensure sustainable tenancies and to build settled, viable and inclusive communities.  
4. Improve tenant satisfaction with their home and increase the period they remain in that home.  
5. Make it more likely that tenants will meet their tenancy obligations and maintain the property in good condition. 

Potential Challenges and Issues for Feedback 

We recognise that some people may have concerns about the proposed changes. These could include: 

• Accessing housing services online 

• Understanding and using the Choice Based Lettings process 

• How the new priority banding arrangements would work 

• Support for vulnerable applicants 

• Ensuring fair and equal access for everyone 

• Any other opportunities or concerns you think we should consider 

Support Available  

The Council recognises that some people may need additional support to access an online Choice Based Lettings system. Support will include assisted applications, telephone support, face-to-face support where required, translation and interpretation services, reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and support through partner agencies and support services. 

There will be a period of transition in which some existing applicants will be asked to re-register. We will make sure those who declare themselves as transferring from another housing provider maintain their current wait time.