Residents have their say on the future of housing allocations

Published: Friday 4 June 2021

Empty Homes.jpg

Residents have had their say on how they would improve housing allocations in Kensington and Chelsea as part of an early engagement exercise.

Working alongside Newman Francis, the Council heard from hundreds of people who shared their thoughts on the current Housing Allocations Scheme and how it could be improved.

Residents were able to take part by completing a survey or participating in a series of online meetings, while some offered their time for in-depth interviews. Others volunteered to sit on a Community Advisory Group that met eight times to oversee feedback from the residents and to shape the final recommendations.

The feedback, which is detailed in an independent report from Newman Francis and can be viewed online will be used to shape an updated scheme which will be put out for public consultation later this year.

Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Grenfell, Housing and Social Investment, said:

“We have a unique set of challenges, with 2,900 people on our housing register in an already densely populated borough. We are doing our bit to build new homes and encourage developers to deliver more affordable homes, but this alone will not solve the challenge.

“It is therefore vital for us to have a robust and responsive allocations scheme that provides each of those people with the help and information they need. The personal insights received through this exercise are invaluable and I am grateful to the hundreds of people who provided them.

“We recognise many of the themes running through the report and the need to improve in a number of areas, particularly how we engage and communicate with our residents. We are committed to doing so and we will use this information to shape the values and priorities of our upcoming Housing Allocation Scheme.”