Rutherglen Local Letting Initiative
| Title | Rutherglen Local Letting Initiative |
|---|---|
| Council Resource | Housing and Technical |
| Service Area | Housing |
| Aims and Objectives | Local Letting Initiatives (LLIs) provide the means for varying the housing allocation policy in order to take account of local needs, demands and circumstances. The Local Housing Strategy (LHS) highlights that across South Lanarkshire, there is a mismatch between population and housing provision. Greenhill Court is a development in central Rutherglen, comprising five blocks of one and two bedroom flats which accounts for a total of 172 properties, 7% of total stock in Rutherglen. The properties are accessed by communal stairwells and closed deck access walkways. Despite the central location of the development and the level of investment, demand is low and turnover high. The impact of the allocation of vacant properties to a concentration of single person households with high support needs has contributed to the community becoming unstable. The purpose of the LLI is to limit lets to applicants queued on the Urgent Housing Need list by setting a lower target for lets to this list in Greenhill Court, than for Rutherglen as a whole. Currently this target has been identified as a maximum of 45%. Applicants on the Urgent Housing Need list are more likely to have complex needs and it is evident that they may be more likely to have difficulty in sustaining a tenancy, even with a high level of support. While the LLI will reduce the number of lets made to applicants on the Urgent Housing Need list in Greenhill Court, allocations will continue to be prioritised in accordance with the housing allocation policy. The reduction in lets within the development will be compensated for in other areas of Rutherglen. It is recognised that the achievement of a stable community within the development will take place over a number of years. |
| Conclusion | "This LLI provides the means to vary the housing allocation policy and restrict lets to the Urgent Housing Need list in Greenhill Court, by setting lower targets for this development than for Rutherglen as a whole. Despite the central location of Greenhill Court and the investment work that had been carried out in the past, demand for properties is low and turnover high. While this situation can in part be attributed to the structural design and layout of the development, it is evident that the impact of allocating vacant properties within certain blocks to a concentration of single person households with high support needs, has contributed to the community becoming unstable. Applicants on the Urgent Housing Need list are more likely to have complex needs and it is evident that they may be more likely to have difficulty in sustaining a tenancy, even with a high level of support. The LLI supports a wider range of activities designed to support sustainability of tenancies within these properties. After considering each protected characteristic, the EQIA found that while this initiative is relevant to everyone on the housing list, particularly Urgent Housing Need applicants, it is not anticipated to have a significant adverse impact on any equality group. THE LLI WILL BE REVIEWED EACH YEAR TO ENSURE THAT IT IS OPERATING EFFECTIVELY AND THAT OUTCOMES ARE AS EXPECTED." |
| Completion date | 2019 - 2020 |
| Contact Email address | equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk |
| Area | Rutherglen and Cambuslang |