4 Rockcliffe Court - 2 bed flat
90A Woodlands Avenue - 1 bed flat
1 Introduction
1.1 Selby District Council has recently acquired two empty properties in Tadcaster that will be retained by the council and let as Affordable Housing.
1.2 The properties are former council properties that were sold through the right to buy process and were purchased specifically to help meet the need for affordable housing in Tadcaster.
1.3 Due to the location of the properties, and the shortfall of social or affordable housing in Tadcaster, the attached Local Lettings Initiative is proposed to meet the needs of the local community and benefit those people in the District who are unable to access housing (rented or owned) due to prohibitive cost and/or availability.
1.4 This Local Lettings Initiative will apply to the first lettings and subsequent lettings and will remain in place for a period of five years from the date of the first letting, after which it will be reviewed by Selby District Council.
2 Lettings initiative
2.1 All of the properties listed will be advertised through the North Yorkshire Home Choice lettings scheme (subject to the proposed condition set out at paragraph 1.3 above).
2.2 All applicants (in the first instance) will be required to have a local connection to the following parish/town:
- Acaster Selby
- Appleton Roebuck
- Barkston Ash
- Biggin
- Bilbrough
- Bolton Percy
- Catterton
- Church Fenton
- Colton
- Grimston
- Healaugh
- Little Fenton
- Newton Kyme
- Oxton
- Saxton
- Steeton
- Stutton
- Tadcaster
- Towton
- Ulleskel
2.3 An applicant is deemed to have a local connection for the purposes of this Initiative if it includes or consists of a person who satisfies any of the following criteria in relation to the areas listed in paragraph 2.2 above:
2.3.1 currently live in the area and have been resident for at least 6 out of the last 12 months; or;
2.3.2 have lived within the area for at least 3 years out of the last 5 years; or;
2.3.3 has a close family member residing in the area that has done so for the last 5 years (mother, father, adult son, adult daughter, adult brother, adult sister); or;
2.3.4 has a need to move to the areas listed in paragraph 2.2 above to take up an offer of regular permanent employment in any of the areas listed in paragraph 2.2 above (such employment to be regularly at least 16 hours per week).
2.3.5 has regular permanent (for instance, not seasonal) full time or part time employment with a company or organisation based within the areas listed in paragraph 2.2 above or where employment requires that person to be located within the area (such employment to be regularly at least 16 hours per week);
2.4 If no applicants meet the criteria set out in paragraph 2.3 above then applicants with a wider local connection will be considered. An applicant who does not have a local connection will be deemed to have a wider local connection if it includes or consists of a person who satisfies any of the following criteria in relation to the area comprising the remainder of Selby district:
2.4.1 currently live in the area and have been resident for at least 6 out of the last 12 months; or;
2.4.2 have lived within the area for at least 3 years out of the last 5 years; or;
2.4.3 has a close family member residing in the area that has done so for the last 5 years (mother, father, adult son, adult daughter, adult brother, adult sister); or;
2.4.4 has regular permanent (for instance, not seasonal) full time or part time employment with a company or organisation based within the area or where employment requires that person to be located within the area (such employment to be regularly at least 16 hours per week);
2.5 In the event that no suitable person satisfies the criteria specified, and defined in paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4 above, then a connection to the North Yorkshire Home Choice area will be considered.
3 Complaints resolution
3.1 SDC will ensure that all complaints in relation to the lettings of these properties will be dealt with in accordance with its own policies and procedures.
4 Equality
4.1 The North Yorkshire Home Choice scheme has been equalities checked and it has its own equalities sub group to monitor the scheme, which includes the option for lettings to households with a local connection.
5 Confidentiality
5.1 Selby District Council aims to treat all information supplied during the lettings process (and at all other times) in the strictest confidence, by ensuring that information is stored securely and meetings are held in private surroundings.
5.2 All information will be dealt with in line with Selby District Council’s Data Protection policies and procedures.