Residents and organisations are being asked to have their say on how social housing in Wirral is allocated in the future.
The consultation invites tenants or future tenants of social housing, residents, landlords, voluntary organisations, and housing associations to comment on proposed changes to how social housing is provided to people, through ‘Property Pool Plus’. This is the system used to match people with social housing and is used by Wirral along with the local authorities in the Liverpool City Region.
Social housing is allocated by taking into consideration a resident’s qualification, priority, choice, and preference – and changes are proposed for each of these areas.
Cllr Julie McManus, Chair of Housing Committee at Wirral Council, said: “It is important that we do all we can to protect the most vulnerable in our community – the past few months have been a real testament to that. The council aims to allocate social housing fairly and take into consideration different people’s situations.
“I would encourage all residents to take part in this consultation – whether you are a tenant, registered for housing, thinking about applying or know someone who might – have your say on how you or others in your community are given social housing.”
The proposed changes plan to make social housing more accessible, and quicker for those who need it most by allocating certain people in a higher priority based on their situation.
Some criteria that may place someone in a higher priority could include:
- People who are homeless
- Members of the armed forces and reserved forces
- Victims of domestic abuse, racial abuse or hate crime
To find out more information about the changes to the policy and to take part in the consultation, please visit www.wirral.gov.uk/housingsay
The consultation will take place for 12 weeks, running from 18 November 2020 to 10 February 2021.
Authorities in the Liverpool City Region will all simultaneously be undertaking this survey, the authorities include Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council and Wirral Council.