Agenda item

Mutual Exchange Policy

Decision:

1. Cabinet considered the report and approved the officer recommendations listed below:

	Issue	Current Policy	Officer Recommendation	Tenant Proposal
1	Under-occupation	There is no under-occupation permitted from an exchange	That under-occupation is permitted, but this is limited to one bedroom.	Mutual Exchanges should be permitted where the under-occupancy rate is not worsened in SCDC properties overall (including like for like swaps)
2	Overcrowding	No overcrowding is permitted.	That overcrowding is only permitted in very specific cases linked to the lack of larger accommodation (i.e. where a tenant has a 4 bedroom requirement and wishes to swap to a 3 bedroom property where that property has an additional room that can be used as a bedroom)	Overcrowding by 1 bedroom should be permitted across all property sizes
3	Staffing	Mutual exchanges are dealt with by generic housing officers (note: this is practice not policy)	Mutual exchanges are dealt with by generic housing officers (but the situation is monitored)	That an additional officer is appointed for mutual exchanges (full time or part time)
4	Incentives to downsize	Incentives are offered to transfer tenants who are in receipt of housing benefit and are subject to the ‘bedroom tax’.	Incentives are offered to all people who downsize through mutual exchange. This will be linked to the number of bedrooms freed up as an incentive to downsize fully.	Agreed with Officer Recommendation. Any incentive should also cover removal costs.
5	Mutual Exchange Service	Applicants have access to mutual exchange service (Exchange Locata) free of charge to find suitable matches	Subscription to additional mutual exchange service (HomeSwapper) to provide improved access to greater number of potential matches free of cost to tenants.	Agreed with Officer Recommendation

2. Cabinet approved the final version of the mutual exchange policy at Appendix A to the report, and gave the Lead Member for Housing authority to make minor amendments and any subsequent changes relating to the value of the financial incentive.

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council invited Mr Dave Kelleway, Tenant Representative, to address the Cabinet. In so doing, Mr Kelleway raised the following points:

· Concern was raised that, while Tenant Representatives were being permitted to speak, the issues raised would not be taken into consideration.

· It was advised that tenants had met with officers over four years ago to discussed mutual exchange, though no meaningful changes were made to the Council’s policy at that time.

· Comment was made that while, now, everyone agreed that such a policy would be useful, the proposal in front of Cabinet made the process difficult.

· Concern was raised that the scope for use of discretion was too limited, and it was felt that tenants should have the right to mutual exchange without the requirement of special circumstances.

· If was further considered that resilience within the Council’s housing service was necessary to avoid delays in individual cases.

Councillor Stephen Drew, made the following comments on behalf of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee:

· It was advised that numerous questions had been asked about the policy at the Scrutiny and Overview Committee meeting, which had all been answered by officers.

· It was felt that the policy in front of Cabinet would provide a policy that was successful.

· Comment was made that the policy should not be seen as the end of the process, but as something that would be reviewed if necessary.

Councillor John Batchelor, Lead Cabinet Member for Housing, introduced the report and moved the recommendations. In so doing, Councillor advised that the Tenant Representative speakers were all members of the Housing Engagement Board, which was in place to provide a link with tenants. Councillor John Batchelor was also a member of this board. It was suggested that their input had been active and was reflected in the final policy, leading to greater flexibility in the scheme. As with all policy, it was advised that this would be regularly review with further amendments made if required.

The recommendations were seconded by Councillor Dr Tumi Hawkins.

Cabinet Members raised the following points during consideration of the report:

· Members of the Housing Engagement Board were thanked, and Councillors expressed disappointment that they did not feel they had been adequately heard.

· It was noted that any single point of failure was undesirable, and it was the aim of the Council to have as many officers as possible trained to fulfil numerous roles.

1. Cabinet considered the report and approved the officer recommendations listed below:

	Issue	Current Policy	Officer Recommendation
1	Under-occupation	There is no under-occupation permitted from an exchange	That under-occupation is permitted, but this is limited to one bedroom.
2	Overcrowding	No overcrowding is permitted.	That overcrowding is only permitted in very specific cases linked to the lack of larger accommodation (i.e. where a tenant has a 4 bedroom requirement and wishes to swap to a 3 bedroom property where that property has an additional room that can be used as a bedroom)
3	Staffing	Mutual exchanges are dealt with by generic housing officers (note: this is practice not policy)	Mutual exchanges are dealt with by generic housing officers (but the situation is monitored)
4	Incentives to downsize	Incentives are offered to transfer tenants who are in receipt of housing benefit and are subject to the ‘bedroom tax’.	Incentives are offered to all people who downsize through mutual exchange. This will be linked to the number of bedrooms freed up as an incentive to downsize fully.
5	Mutual Exchange Service	Applicants have access to mutual exchange service (Exchange Locata) free of charge to find suitable matches	Subscription to additional mutual exchange service (HomeSwapper) to provide improved access to greater number of potential matches free of cost to tenants.

2. Cabinet approved the final version of the mutual exchange policy , and gave the Lead Member for Housing authority to make minor amendments and any subsequent changes relating to the value of the financial incentive.

Supporting documents: