Housing board moots London-wide choice-based lettings scheme

If adopted, the system could form part of the board's 2005 London housing strategy. It would give social housing tenants access to affordable accommodation across the capital.

But some critics are worried the idea is a ruse to cajole tenants into moving to the Thames Gateway in east London.

Dino Patel, senior policy officer for the London Housing Federation, said: "The ideas are still being formulated and this is one of the proposals on the table. As long as all the parties agree, it could definitely work."

A consultation paper, sent out on 4 June by the Government Office for London to the 32 London boroughs, asks respondents to outline how to "achieve more mobility in social housing" and how to "increase choice for prospective and existing social housing tenants about where they live".

The consultation is feeding into the preparation of the 2005 London housing strategy.

Sources suggested the idea was being actively considered by the GOL and the Housing Corporation.

This is about moving people to east London – it’s essentially a mechanism to encourage people to go where they don’t want to go

London housing source

But a spokesman for the GOL denied there were plans to introduce it.

The new system, which would be organised through one central agency, could be seen as a way of tackling the problem of securing housing nominations for new homes in the Thames Gateway.

The Association of London Government is working on a protocol to govern the distribution of new social housing in the development zones in the east of the capital.

However, there would be significant issues to resolve were the choice-based lettings scheme to be expanded across the capital.

There is little evidence to suggest people would want to move across London, and it is not clear whether such a system would discriminate against those who wanted to remain in their locality.