Wealden District Council
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Housing Strategies, Policies and Plans

View or download our Housing Strategies, Policies and Plans.

Housing Strategies

Wealden District Council Tenancy Strategy

The Localism Act 2011 required Local Authorities to produce and publish a tenancy strategy by January 2013. The Strategy must set out the matters to which the registered providers of social housing operating in the district are to have regard to in formulating policies. Wealden’s first Tenancy Strategy was approved in December 2012 and then more recently updated in 2017.

Housing Strategy

The Housing Strategy sets out Wealden District Council’s housing objectives and looks at how the Council and its partners are working to deliver these.

Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy

The Homelessness Strategy sets out the Council’s priorities for tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in the district. Our current Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy  expires at the end of 2023 and will be replaced by this version

This strategy is being delivered through an Action Plan Homelessness strategy action plan

Tenant Involvement Strategy

The strategy establishes a framework for enabling Wealden District Council’s tenant and Retirement Living leaseholders to be consulted and effectively participate in the decision making process which affects them and the management of their homes.

The strategy is being delivered through an action plan. This was last updated in March 2023.

HRA Older Persons Housing and Support Strategy

This strategy sets out how to ensure that the housing revenue account’s housing and relates services can meet the needs of older people now and in the future (Council housing and related services).

This strategy is being delivered through an Older Persons Housing and Support Action Plan you can find out where we in our delivery of it.

Tenants and Leaseholders Housing and Support strategy

This Strategy sets out how we will identify and help support our vulnerable tenants and retirement living leaseholders.

This provides an update on what we delivered against our previous Strategy –  Vulnerable Persons Strategy Action Plan.

Affordable Warmth Strategy

The Affordable Warmth Strategy provides the context for Wealden’s work on Home Energy Efficiency and our commitment to improving energy efficiency in the District.

Housing Policies

Below are the current Housing Policies for the Housing Service.

Housing Services Health and Safety Policy

The purpose of this document is to clearly communicate standards of health and safety management throughout our housing stock, for our tenants, staff and contractors.

Housing Services Maintaining and Improving Neighbourhoods Policy

This neighbourhood policy outlines the Housing Services approach to working to improve neighbourhoods in which we own and manage housing.

HRA Anti Social Behaviour Policy

This policy details the Council’s approach to dealing with complaints of antisocial behaviour.

Allocations Policy

The Allocations Policy sets out in detail the Council’s approach relating to the allocation of social housing in Wealden.

Aids & Adaptations Policy

The purpose of this policy is to set out the Council’s approach to the provision of aids and adaptations in our homes. This provision is vital to support the wellbeing and independence of our disabled tenants, either in the continued occupancy of their own home of in another property that is suitably adapted or can be adapted to meet their needs.

This policy also aims to ensure consistency, clarity and fairness in our approach when dealing with requests for aids and adaptations in our homes.

Succession Policy

This policy details who is entitled on the death of a tenant to take on that tenancy.

Domestic Abuse Policy

The policy provides a framework setting out how the housing service will assist and support council tenants and retirement living leaseholders experiencing domestic abuse.

Tenancy Policy

Tenancy Policy details the Council’s approach to offering and reviewing flexible fixed term tenancies and was reviewed in 2017.

Transfer Incentive Scheme

This policy sets out the financial assistance that we provide to help households under-occupying their current property to move to a smaller one.

Tenant Involvement Recognition Scheme

The scheme is now in its third year and supports delivery of Tenant Involvement Strategy highlighting our commitment to tenant involvement. The following changes have been made:

  1. £10 voucher allocated for every 50 points achieved and unused points will roll over from one financial year to the next or until 50 points are reached and a £10 voucher issued.
  2. There is an increase from £10 to £20 for attending a focus group.
  3. The 2022 scheme also recognises the good work that our Tenants and Retirement Leaseholders undertake to the benefit of the community in which they live. We are therefore introducing an Annual Awards Scheme to recognise the work that individual tenants or Retirement Living leaseholders or groups make to our estates or the lives of other residents.

Housing Financial Assistance Policy

This policy sets out the financial assistance available in the form of grants or loans towards help improving, repairs and adaptations of the private housing stock in the Wealden area. The policy also sets out the financial assistance available in the form of grants available to help provide adaptations and provide Hardship and Feasibility Assistance in the Council’s own housing stock.

Private Housing Enforcement Policy

The aim of this policy is to allow the consistent and fair enforcement of housing legislation to raise standards in the private housing sector.

Recompense Policy

The Policy covers both statutory (also known as mandatory payments) and non-mandatory (non-statutory payments) as well as discretionary payments. It sets out clearly when compensation will and will not be applicable and what other remedies, in addition to compensation will be taken to remedy a complaint.

The Policy also sets out how compensation payments are calculated and how payments are made. It also explains how customers can request a review of a compensation decision.

Service Charges Policy

We have developed a HRA Service Charges Policy which sets out our current approach to setting service charges for general needs tenants, for retirement living tenants and leaseholders and for Right to Buy tenants (those that have purchased a council flat through the Government’s Right to Buy scheme).

The Policy sets out the range of additional services we provide and recover the cost for as a service charge. It also sets out how service charges are calculated and the cost shared amongst residents.

It also explains how some service charges are fixed annually like the rent charge but others are variable such as where repairs and maintenance are needed, these variable charges predominantly apply to service charges for leaseholders (both retirement living and Right to Buy).

HRA Service Charges Policy

Temporary Accommodation Policy

This policy has been developed in partnership with the other local authorities in East Sussex. It is an Appendix to our Homelessness and Rough Sleepers Strategy 2020-23. It sets out the five East Sussex councils’ policy for the placement of homeless households in emergency and temporary accommodation, both within District or Borough, and outside of the placement authority area.

East Sussex Temporary Accommodation Policy

Unacceptable Behaviour Policy

This policy sets out how we will determine what constitutes unacceptable behaviour, as well as how we will manage customers whose behaviour is deemed to be unacceptable.

Water Safety Policy

The Policy sets out the management approach providing, maintaining safe water systems and preventing infection from water systems within the Retirement Living Courts.

Corporate Policies

These are some of our relevant corporate policies

Reasonable Adjustments Policy

This corporate policy published in 2021 formalises how we have been implementing the Equalities Act 2011 over the past 10 years. It also

  • defines our legal obligation to consider adjustments and to make adjustments where reasonable
  • provides customers with clear information, including how to request an adjustment

Complaints Policy/Procedure 

Housing Plans/Other Documents

HRA Business Plan

This Business Plan sets out our priorities for spending the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget and is supported by our annual HRA budget setting. The Plan sets out our three priorities which are to maintain our stock, decarbonisation of our homes and increasing the supply of council homes, to build new Council homes and replace homes lost through the Right to Buy.

Asset Management Plan 2017

The Housing and Property Services Department have developed and maintained this Plan for its housing stock. The latest version is effective to 2024 with an interim review.

Fencing Plan 2018

The aim of this Plan is to give a clear understanding of the obligations of both Wealden District Council and our tenants and leaseholders for the maintenance, repair and renewal of fencing and boundaries.

Satellite Dish Advice

This Satellite Dish Information provides questions and answers relating to your satellite dish.