29 July 2019

Views sought on housing allocation policy

Views are being sought from council tenants and those on the waiting list in Aberdeenshire as part of a review of the policy that guides how properties are allocated.

Aberdeenshire Council’s housing allocation policy is being updated to take account of changes introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 and a move towards reducing timescales for rehousing tenants.

The authority currently has around 13,000 properties for rent and plans to invest more than £150million in the delivery of affordable housing over the next five years as part of its Strategic Housing Investment Plan.

The plan could see more than 2,350 additional homes built across the area, with close to 2,000 of those proposed for social rent.

To ensure the way homes are allocated is fit for purpose, the housing service is keen to hear from existing tenants as well as those on the waiting list or considering making an application.

Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Communities Committee, Cllr Anne Stirling, said: “Like many councils across Scotland, we have an ongoing and significant demand for council housing in Aberdeenshire.

“We are investing millions of pounds to increase the supply of accommodation and it’s important that the way we allocate properties to tenants is robust and efficient.

“As part of that, we are asking anybody with an interest in council housing in Aberdeenshire to share their views in this survey.”

The survey will remain open until Friday, August 23, and can be found at http://bit.ly/AlloPol