The Government believes that allocation policies for social housing should provide choice for applicants, wherever possible, while continuing to meet housing needs. As a result, it has set a target for all local housing authorities to introduce Choice Based Lettings by 2010.

Instead of councils offering available accommodation to eligible applicants, choice based lettings provides for this accommodation to be advertised through various means (web-sites, newsletters, lettings shops etc). Applicants then "bid" for the accommodation and this will be allocated to the eligible bidder who best meets the allocation criteria within the scheme.

The idea is that this gives the applicant greater choice and in exercising that choice, they are likely to act more responsibly and take better care of the property they have selected, pay their rent on time and not act antisocially within their neighbourhood.

As well as requiring choice based lettings schemes to be in place by 2010, the Government is also encouraging these schemes to be operated on a regional or sub regional basis.

Tendring is part of the Greater Haven Gateway Sub Region together with Colchester, Ipswich, Braintree, Maldon, Babergh, Mid Suffolk and Suffolk Coastal. This sub region has formed a partnership and has successfully bid for Government funding to set up a sub regional choice based lettings scheme from November 2008.

However, although Tendring is represented on the project board for implementing this scheme, we have been unable to agree with the rest of the sub region on the proposals for the scheme and the timescale for bringing it in. This is due to the fact that Tendring has a unique profile within the sub region of high social housing demand in relation to the low affordable housing supply.

As a result, Tendring will not be adopting the sub regional allocation scheme and implementing choice based lettings from November 2008. Instead, we intend to carry out more research and consultation to assess, with members of our Tenants Panel, the impact that such a scheme might have on housing need in Tendring.