Last week was the regular meeting of Bury Council’s Cabinet, which I attend as an Opposition Group Leader.

Two issues to highlight:

Housing Allocation Policy
The Council agreed its new housing allocation policy, for how it prioritises people who are waiting for ‘council’ houses (Six Town Housing houses). There are a number of fairly complex issues in the policy, for example around medical need, but basically the Council will ‘band’ housing applications according to need.

Band 1–Urgent Housing Need
Homeless and in priority need
Urgent medical or welfare need
Life threatening circumstances
The Council has accepted a responsibility to re-house
Members of the Armed and Reserve Forces
Exceptional cases

Band 2 – High Housing Need
Statutory overcrowding
Category 1 hazard under the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System
Leaving supported accommodation
High medical or welfare need to move

Band 3 – Medium Housing Need
Unintentionally homeless but not in priority need
Insecure tenants served with a Notice of Seeking Possession
Households living apart
Medium medical and/or welfare need
Bedroom Standard overcrowding – 2 bed short

Band 4 – Low Housing Need
Low medical and/or welfare need
Older person living above first floor
Bedroom Standard overcrowding
Intentionally homeless with a priority need

Band 5 – Assessment of Need
Awaiting a decision on a homelessness application
No local connection
Unreasonable refusal of a suitable offer
Not ready to move on from supported accommodation
Alternative to suspension from the Housing Register
Transitional arrangements for those currently on the Housing Register

The ‘no local connection’ is quite important here – broadly aimed to ensure that local people have a priority for local housing.
The full policy is here (see Agenda Item 7). Any questions please ask.

Residents Parking Schemes

The Council has now adopted a policy for residents parking schemes. At present there are nine residents parking schemes across the Borough (the nearest one to us is behind M&S on Highfield Road), but there hasn’t been a general policy to guide the Council in determining schemes.

We now have this policy, and this sets out some fairly strict criteria as to when an area could be considered. I raised the issues of places which currently suffer from occasional parking problems, because of events (I was particularly thinking people the Baguley Crescent and St Margaret’s areas, when there are major events on in Heaton Park – or even just a sunny weekend day. The current policy would not permit these areas to qualify for residents parking schemes.

I asked that the Council thinks of other ways that it might be able to help. (Incidently it’s not just us, as Councillors who represent the areas around Gigg Lane also had similar concerns!)

The new policy is here (see Agenda Item 8). Any questions on this or the rest of the agenda please don’t hesitate to ask.

Tim

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