Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet has today, Monday 7 July, approved a series of transformative measures to improve the performance and efficiency of its housing register service, following a comprehensive review of the Home Choice Plus system.
The review, prompted by a sustained backlog of housing applications and missed performance targets, revealed a critical mismatch between service demand and available resources.
The District Council has now endorsed a strategic plan to address these challenges and enhance the experience for residents seeking access to social housing.
Key recommendations approved include:
- Backlog Reduction Measures - Immediate action to process the backlog of Home Choice Plus applications with temporary resourcing to support the Housing Options Team.
- Procurement of a New IT System - The District Council will procure a modern, secure, and efficient IT system, ensuring compliance with data protection standards and improving service delivery.
- Withdrawal from the Home Choice Plus Partnership - The District Council will formally exit the sub-regional partnership with Wyre Forest and Bromsgrove District Councils, enabling greater autonomy and flexibility in managing its housing register.
- Operational Improvements - Broader activities to streamline and modernise the housing register process have been approved, ensuring long-term sustainability and improved customer service.
At the point of its introduction in 2008, the Home Choice Plus system was a sector-leading platform. However, it no longer meets the technological and security needs of the District Council. The current version is unsupported by its provider, Civica, raising serious concerns about data security, particularly given the sensitive nature of housing applications.
With nearly 5,800 active applications, significantly higher than comparable authorities, the District Council's housing register plays a vital role in both housing allocation and strategic planning.
A £150,000 investment has been earmarked in the Council Plan to support the procurement of a new system. This will reduce manual processing, improve customer service, and ensure compliance with statutory duties under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996.
Cllr Liz Coles, Housing and Customer Services Portfolio said: "This is a vital step forward in ensuring our residents receive the service they deserve. By investing in modern systems and reviewing our operational model, we are committed to delivering a fair, efficient, and secure housing register that meets the needs of our community."
Public consultation on the revised Housing Allocation Scheme will be launched shortly, inviting feedback from residents, Members, Registered Providers, and other stakeholders.
Background information
- Home Choice Plus is a sub-regional partnership arrangement with Wyre Forest District Council and Bromsgrove District Council, which was created in 2008 in order to maximise Government funding and efficiencies of scale to implement a choice based lettings system. This partnership originally consisted of six Councils but only three remain.
