Council introduces new priorities-focused housing allocation scheme

Westminster City Council is changing the way it allocates social housing to make it fairer and more transparent.  

The council is introducing a new Housing Allocation Scheme that will prioritise households facing multiple challenges, make the system more transparent and easier to understand for residents. 

Every council has an allocations scheme that sets out how they prioritise people’s needs to allocate social housing. Westminster City Council reviewed their previous scheme with tenants and people on the housing register to inform how it identifies those with the greatest need. It then worked with a wide range of groups including residents, people waiting for social housing, professionals, charities and community groups, as well as conducting a statutory consultation.  

Like many London boroughs, Westminster has a limited supply of social housing with an increasing need driven by a national housing crisis. There are currently over 6000 households on the council’s housing register and only around 800 homes become available each year.  While changes to the scheme cannot alleviate this problem, it will allow the council to prioritise people’s needs in the fairest way possible.  

Changes to the scheme include:    

• Introducing a new band system to more openly reflect the needs and circumstances of those waiting for social housing.  
• Giving greater priority to households facing severe or multiple challenges 
• Better recognition of the time spent waiting for social housing. Previously, residents gained additional points if they had lived in Westminster for 10 years or more at the time of joining the register. If you joined the list at 9 years and reached 10 years during your wait for a house, these points could not be added. Our new scheme will fix this. 
• Allowing care leavers to bid for properties, rather than be directly assigned one.  
• Creating a scheme that is clearer and easier to understand. This will give residents a clearer view of where they are in the scheme. 

Cllr Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services said: “We’re pleased to be able to introduce the changes to the scheme that will allow the council to help people with the most complex and pressing needs.  

“It is informed by people’s lived experiences and will make it easier for people to understand how they apply for social housing.” 

The scheme will be introduced in February 2025. 

Anyone on the housing register in Westminster will get more information about what the scheme means for them in the New Year.