Ashford Borough Council has endorsed a new Housing Allocation Scheme designed to create a fairer and more transparent system, giving increased priority to local residents in need of social housing.
The scheme, which goes live in April 2026, focuses on allocating “local homes for local people” by introducing more stringent local connection criteria, requiring applicants to demonstrate three years of residency in the borough, up from one year.
Key Positive Changes:
- Prioritising Local Need: The scheme aims to address the significant local housing demand (1,647 currently on the register) and financial pressures on temporary accommodation by ensuring that local residents with housing need are prioritised.
- Listening to Residents: The policy was heavily informed by public consultation, with 85% of respondents supporting greater priority for applicants with a local connection.
- Fair and Robust Criteria: New criteria were added to ensure only those genuinely in need can access social housing, while still guaranteeing support for key groups like armed forces personnel, care leavers, and those fleeing domestic abuse.
- Promoting Responsibility: The scheme now includes a more robust definition for excluding individuals from the register due to a history of anti-social behaviour, reflecting strong public demand.
- Clearer System: The new banding and quota methodology will allow waiting time to be considered alongside housing need, making the allocation process for limited resources more sensible and transparent.
Council Leader Cllr Noel Ovenden stated he was “pleased to endorse this policy, which establishes a fair and transparent system… This approach enables us to respond more effectively to local pressures while maintaining a balanced allocation process for our residents.”