A raft of changes will be introduced for how Southampton’s council houses are allocated.

Local authority leaders have approved various alterations to the policy, including removing applicants from the waiting list if they repeatedly turn down properties.

The changes come after a public consultation and discussions at a scrutiny committee meeting.

Labour councillor Andy Frampton, cabinet member for housing, said: “We recognise that the changes that we are making in the housing allocation policy in no way diminishes our housing challenges.

“However, this change in policy does, in our view, make the allocations system fairer and it bring us in line with many other local authorities as well.”

Cllr Frampton detailed the policy changes before they were approved at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 16. They include:

  • Moving from a points system to a banding system to give a greater priority to those with the most housing need.
  • Removing the ability for unlimited offer refusals. If an applicant makes three refusals on suitable accommodation, they will be placed in the lowest priority band for six months. Refusal of further offers would see them removed from the waiting list.
  • Children from the age of 16 and older will be entitled to their own bedroom. Currently two children of the same sex are expected to share a bedroom regardless of the age gap.
  • People can now also apply to go on the housing needs register if they have lived in Southampton for three out of the past five years, or if they have been in permanent paid employment in the city for at least two years. These are two additional options to the previous requirement that applicants must have lived in Southampton for three continuous years.
  • Applicants will now be required to complete a re-registration form every year, which for most people will be much shorter than the initial application process. The previous system meant once applicants were accepted onto the register, they did not have to re-register at any point.

Conservative group leader Cllr Peter Baillie said he broadly agreed with the changes to the housing allocations policy.

However, the opposition member said the council would never get the best use of its housing stock if it failed to “get a grip of tenancies”.

Cllr Baillie said: “People can have a lifelong secure tenancy but it doesn’t mean that they are in the same home and we have so many three-bed or four-bed [properties] being used by people who don’t need that size because they are in a secure tenancy.”

He added: “It is interesting that you are doing two-year fixed secure tenancies for foster carers, so you could do five-year or ten-year fixed for others.”

Cllr Baillie said having an annual quota of properties for care leavers supported by the council “did not sit well” with him.

The policy says care leavers will be permitted to bid specifically for properties advertised as having a priority for them but the number of homes available will be subject to a yearly cap.

Cllr Baillie told cabinet: “Care leavers are so used to being let down throughout their lives and I can’t believe that it is going to be that big of a number.

“I don’t see why it is subject to an annual quota. We are not going to be getting through dozens and dozens of homes, so I wonder if that can be looked at.”

The Conservative councillor also said more robust and frequent inspections of council houses was needed to help with allocations and getting the right homes for the right people.

Labour council leader Cllr Lorna Fielker told Cllr Baillie he had the opportunity to raise these concerns when the policy changes were presented to the overview and scrutiny management panel in April.

Latest figures from the city council suggest there are 8,000 people on the housing waiting list.

Last year, Southampton City Council was ranked as the second worst authority in England for “non-decent homes” by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

A report published by the local authority at the time highlighted issues with the condition of the housing stock and the drawn out process to re-let void dwellings.