But they should not use exclusion policies which often shut the most vulnerable people out for good.
In new proposals to reform the allocations and homelessness legislation, the LGA says: "Exclusion policies which effectively condemn individuals for life, with no hope of remission, whether or not they ameliorate their behaviour, are against the principles of natural justice. The LGA also claims local exclusion policies are contrary to the government's broader welfare to work and social inclusion aims.
But it says more flexibility on allocations is needed to help build successful communities. It says: "The requirement to let all properties through the housing register and, in effect, through secure tenancies, limits opportunities for authorities to experiment with new initiatives to address low demand and unpopular housing."
It follows calls from homelessness charity Crisis and consultant Gerard Lemos for a "millenium amnesty" on people excluded from waiting lists (Housing Today, issue 143).
LGA policy officer Gwyneth Taylor said current exclusion policies mitigated against flexibility, because they didn't allow authorities to look at individual cases.
Vulnerable applicants, such as mentally ill people, were often particularly at risk of being excluded, and exclusions could also have a knock-on effect on neighbouring authorities.
"We want to work with government to develop an alternative system which can combine the issues of meeting housing need and ensuring people receive the degree of support they require to maintain their tenancies with looking at the issue of developing sustainable communities," she said.
"We want to see changes to the legislation to give us a more open and flexible framework while continuing with authorities' duty to the most vulnerable applicants."
Local authorities are being asked to comment on the proposals, before they are sent to ministers in a bid to influence reform of the homelessness and allocations legislation.
Source
Housing Today
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