This consultation is now closed. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to give their feedback.
We will review all the responses and produce a report on the findings. We expect to take a final report on the new policy to the council’s Executive Committee in the spring.
We are developing a new housing allocation policy for Bracknell Forest. We are inviting residents and stakeholders to give us their views on the proposed changes to the policy.
All councils are required to publish a housing allocation policy. The policy sets out:
- who qualifies to join the housing register for social housing
- how they can apply
- how their application will be assessed
- how their priority for rehousing will be determined
The current policy was drafted in 2016 with a minor update in 2021.
Why developing a new policy is important
Like many areas, Bracknell Forest faces the challenge of rising demand for social housing and a decreasing supply. In April 2023, 1,900 households were on the housing register in Bracknell Forest. Three years before this, there were 1,330 applicants on the housing register. Over the same period, the number of homes available to let has steadily declined.
A new housing allocation policy is needed to address these challenges and to make sure the right people are getting the right housing. A particular concern is the shortage of larger family homes and long waiting times for overcrowded households. The policy also needs bringing up to date with changes in legislation, such as the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
Our vision
We want our new housing allocations policy to:
- provide a fair, transparent, and easy to understood approach that meets the housing needs of the local area
- make sure we are making best use of the properties available for allocation and prioritising those in greatest housing need
- reduce waiting times for the most overcrowded households with children
- make sure we recognise the housing needs of groups such as care leavers, foster carers, ex and serving armed forces personnel
- support the council’s homelessness and housing strategies to reduce and prevent homelessness
Draft policy
The survey for this consultation closed on Wednesday 31 January 2024. You can still view the draft policy on our consultation portal.