Draft Housing Allocations Scheme consultation

Feedback updated 4 Aug 2026

We asked

An online survey was prepared and hosted by Campbell Tickell Ltd on Smart Survey from 10 March - 12 May 2026. The consultation material including a draft of the revised scheme was hosted on the Council’s website. A link was provided to the survey on the webpages about applying for social housing on the Slough Borough Council website. Everyone on the Housing Register was contacted either by email or letter explaining the consultation and inviting them to provide us with their feedback on the proposed changes. They were offered assistance if they needed it. Everyone in temporary accommodation also received a letter. Additional engagement also took place to make sure no-one was excluded.

You said

There were a total of 1,002 respondents which included 619 applicants on the Housing Register, 190 homeless households in temporary accommodation, 159 Council tenants and 185 were other residents of the borough. There are 2,629 applicants on the housing register, and with a total of 1,002 respondants, this approximates to a 38% response rate. 

We did

Overall, the agreement was 40% and over for each of the proposed changes apart from the Community Contribution Section. As a result we reviewed a proposed change relating to community contributions. Applicants with a community contribution are awarded Band B. During the consultation it was proposed to change this to a lettings target of 2% for 2026/2 which was supported by 54% of respondents. However, having considered the responses during the consultation who disagreed, legal advice, the results of the Equality Impact Assessment, it was concluded that retaining this clause would potentially be discriminatory, i.e. awarding greater priority to someone who is working over someone who is not. It is therefore recommended removing of this section entirely while granting fostering and adoption to be prioritised in Band B.

Further details of the consultation and report on it are available on the Agenda for Cabinet meeting on 20 July - item 7

The new Housing Allocations Policy has been approved and will come into effect on 30 November. Any applications from before that date will be assessed under the current Housing Allocations Policy.  As part of the transition to the new policy, existing applicants will be invited to re-register between the end of July and the beginning of November. As a result, there may be some delays in processing new housing applications during this period. Existing applicants will be contacted by the allocations team to advise on when you need to re-register.

More information on applying for social housing (Slough Borough Council website)

Closed 12 May 2026

Opened 10 Mar 2026

Overview

Share your views in this consultation about proposals to change the qualification criteria for social housing.

The new policy aims to create an accessible, fair and transparent service, meet local housing need, meet the housing needs of the most vulnerable, prioritise those with the greatest and most urgent housing needs, make the best use of existing social housing stock, ensure equal treatment for all applicants and meet the regulatory requirements and industry standards. 

There are changes proposed, some listed below, which would affect who is eligible to apply for social housing and the banding which successful applicants would be given. 

  • Introducing a household income threshold of £39,059 per year.
  • Introducing a savings, assets and capital threshold of £16,000 per household.
  • Anyone who is adequately housed will not be able to join the register.
  • Any applicant who refuses their offer of accommodation would be removed from the register and be ineligible to reapply for 12 months. 
  • Removing the five-year limit so that any veteran can join the Housing Register, to align with practices adopted by many other authorities nationwide.
  • Young carers would be awarded their own bedroom for the duration of the time they are providing care to the person in the home.
  • Raising the age which children of the same sex can share a bedroom – from 16 to 18.
  • Allocating a slightly smaller property, in some circumstances, provided it would alleviate severe overcrowding and provided everyone in the household has an adequate bedspace.
  • Introducing the option to rehouse young adults aged 18 or over, who are the child of a tenant, into a studio or 1 bedroom property, to remove or significantly reduce the overcrowding of the main household. The applicant or the young adult can make the request.
  • Introducing affordability checks when allocating social housing, to give confidence to incoming tenants that they can afford the home and sustain their tenancy.

Audiences

  • Residents
  • Stakeholders

Interests

  • Resident Involvement