Proposed changes to North Northamptonshire’s social and affordable priority housing allocations to be considered
01 May 2026
North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive is set to consider proposed changes to its housing allocations scheme to ensure housing goes to residents who need it the most.
The current priority allocation scheme covers residents from a range of situations, from care leavers to victims of domestic abuse and households experiencing overcrowding.
All local housing authorities are legally required to have a clear and transparent scheme that sets out how social and affordable housing is allocated, including how applications are assessed and how priority is determined.
The Council launched a six-week consultation in October last year and invited views on the Council’s proposed changes on how social and affordable housing is allocated. Residents, tenants, applicants, internal departments, housing associations, and statutory and voluntary organisations were among those who were encouraged to give their feedback on the proposals as part of a six-week consultation.
The feedback helped shape the final version of the scheme, which will be presented to the Council's Executive on Tuesday, 12 May at 10am.
They will discuss the revisions which aim to provide a fair and transparent housing allocations service. It would also bring it in line with other housing allocation schemes nationally.
North Northamptonshire, similar to other areas nationally, is facing an increasing demand for social and affordable housing that far outstrips supply. There has been a 129 per cent increase in applications for the housing register over the last three years. The monthly average of new housing applications received for assessment for 2024/2025 was 560 per month.Cllr Elizabeth Wright, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Children, Education and Families
The proposed changes, which were set out in the consultation, aim to make sure the housing scheme is fit for purpose, addresses emerging local housing needs and the increasing demand.
They also aim to provide greater clarity and transparency that social or affordable housing will only be available to those with a clear housing need and those who do not meet the criteria would receive advice and be signposted to a range of alternative housing solutions such as mutual exchange (ie. swapping homes with another tenant), low-cost home ownership, and the private rented sector.
Care leavers who are accommodated by Northamptonshire Children's Trust and who are corporate children of either North Northamptonshire Council or West Northamptonshire Council are prioritised equally in Band A in the proposal.