A REVIEW is due to take place into the new Choice Based Lettings (CBL) system delivering social housing in Wyre Forest.

CBL was introduced in the district in September, 2008 and allows applicants and existing tenants seeking a move to bid for available vacancies. The successful bidder is the one with the highest priority under the scheme.

Wyre Forest participates in the South Housing Market Area Sub-Regional Choice Based Lettings Scheme, now more commonly known as Home Choice Plus.

The Home Choice Plus partnership consists of five Worcestershire authorities and Stratford upon Avon and is operated in partnership with the majority of registered social landlords (RSLs), who have properties in these areas.

Since its launch, there have been 2,353 applications for the Wyre Forest housing waiting list.

Of this total, 1,850 households are new (register) applicants and 503 are applicants already housed seeking a transfer.

There are currently 1,964 applicants actively seeking housing, 94 closed or cancelled applications, 16 households whose application has been suspended or waiting to be registered and 277 households who have been housed since the scheme went live.

Altogether, 96 per cent of the 277 lettings were let through Wyre Forest Community Housing, two per cent were let through Waterloo and two per cent were housed outside the district.

Two households from outside the area have been rehoused in Wyre Forest since the launch and six households in Wyre Forest have been housed outside the district.

As part of the planned review, the Home Choice Plus partners will be consulting a sample of households on the register and talking to partner RSLs and other relevant partners about the allocation policy.

A report to the district council’s community and regeneration scrutiny committee says: “To date, anecdotal evidence from a range of partner organisations has been positive.

“Many feel that the new system is more transparent and gives the customer a more realistic view on what housing is available to them.

“The majority of the organisations involved have not expressed concerns about customers experiencing difficulties accessing Home Choice Plus but the review will pay particular attention to whether elderly and households from the black or minority ethnic origin (BME) community are accessing the system effectively.

“There are a number of households on the system who have registered but not bid and as part of the review, these households will be written out to, to find out if they are experiencing any difficulties in accessing the system and what support is needed to ensure that customers can bid for properties.”

It is anticipated that the review will be completed by March, 2010.