Social housing 'boost' by choice of tenants

There are fewer failed tenancies since the policy was introduced, a report claimed

Hard-to-let social housing can be boosted by giving priority to the over-50s or people with jobs, officials in Monmouthshire have said.

They pointed to fewer empty properties and fewer tenants wanting to leave an area of Mardy, Abergavenny, where a trial launched in 2015.

Monmouthshire Housing Association wants to extend the trial, but admits it restricts housing available for others.

It also said more work was needed to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The local lettings policy covers four streets of 154 homes, including 125 flats, which had suffered from anti-social behaviour, low demand and a high turnover of tenants.

The idea of giving priority to people in full time work and over-50s was aimed at developing a "balanced and sustainable" community, housing and communities manager Ian Bakewell said in a report to Monmouthshire council's adult select committee.

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Since February 2015, the number of employed households in the area went up by over three-quarters, while those unemployed fell by a third.

Even so, the report admitted that the policy "prevents access for some households" in Monmouthshire, noting: "The majority of homeless applicants are not in employment and typically are under 50 years of age."

There were mixed results on anti-social behaviour, though, with cases increasing in 2016/17 but falling in 2017/18, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It should be noted that establishing culture change and improving the socio-economic profile of an area can take considerable time," Mr Bakewell's report said.

The committee will see a presentation on Tuesday and then be asked whether to recommend the council's cabinet back a two-year extension of the scheme.