Local lettings policy for Arthur Hill development – Norwood Road and Kings Road

Arthur Hill is a new development on Kings Road in Reading. It comprises of fifteen flats, thirteen x 1- bedroom and two x 2-bedroom homes.

In line with the council’s aspiration to meet a range of different needs through the Housing Register the development has been identified as an opportunity to provide affordable accommodation for low-income key workers to support recruitment of staff to essential public services in Reading. The Arthur Hill flats will enable key workers to have access to accommodation for a set period of time and provide them with the opportunity to save and plan for alternative housing options.

Site specific issues

The development is situated on a main road with no parking facilities, however there is good access to public transport, and it is close to the town centre.

Allocations

The properties will be offered on a 2-year fixed-term tenancy. There will not be an opportunity for tenants to remain in the accommodation past the end of the 2-year fixed term.

The council’s Allocations Scheme makes provision for the use of local lettings policies to meet its stated aims with regards to attracting key workers and supporting recruitment of staff to essential services. The scheme also sets out the Reading Borough Council key worker definition.

The properties will be let through the council’s Housing Register.  Key workers will be entitled to bid on the properties once they are advertised for letting. Allocations will be made in line with the council’s Allocations Scheme taking into account priority banding and registration dates.

Desired outcomes of the Local Lettings Policy

The desired outcomes of the local lettings policy are as follows:

• To make affordable accommodation available in the borough for identified key workers for a 2-year period
• To ensure that the local authority is supporting those in public services where the pay does not reflect the cost of living in the borough
• To attract essential workers to the borough to support recruitment
• To create a sustainable community within the new development

Local lettings criteria

In order to achieve these outcomes, the following criteria will be in place for allocations to these properties.

• Applicants must be registered on the council’s housing register.
• Applicants must be identified as key workers, employed within the borough of Reading
• Applicants must have an income of £35,000 per person or less per annum
• Applicants will not be considered for this accommodation if they have previously held a council or Registered Provider/Housing Association tenancy
• Affordability checks will be carried out with each prospective tenant to ensure that the accommodation is, and remains affordable for them for the period of the agreement
• Allocations will not be made to households with, to the best of the council’s knowledge: 
  – a history of aggression, violence, nuisance & drug dealing
  – with drug convictions in the last 5 years or individuals who have used controlled drugs heavily in the last 12 months
  – households who Thames Valley Police believe have a negative association with others in the area based on intelligence held on their files

Checks will be undertaken prior to any offer of accommodation being made.

Review of fixed term tenancy

A review will be carried out at least 10 months prior to the end of the 2-year fixed-term tenancy. As there is no opportunity to remain in the accommodation past the end of the fixed-term tenancy the review will put in place a plan with the prospective tenant for alternative housing options and provide the relevant support to enable them to move on to alternative housing in a planned way.

Ending the agreement

The tenancy will come to an end after 2 years in total. Applicants will be issued with the following notices:

• A notice prior to signing the agreement setting out the fixed-term period.
• A notice issued at least 6 months before the end of the fixed-term agreement.
• A notice issued at least 2 months before the end of the fixed term notifying that the council requires possession.

Tenants will be expected to use the period of the fixed term agreement to prepare for a move into alternative accommodation, for example, saving for deposits, or applying for shared ownership in the area.

Review period

This Local Lettings Policy will be reviewed on a yearly basis to ensure it is meeting its stated aims with a full review after three years.