Choice can build community bridges

Giving tenants greater choice over where they live can help reduce the segregation of different ethnic groups on council estates, communities secretary Ruth Kelly told a race relations convention this week.

Speaking at the Commission for Racial Equality's race convention on Monday she said that local authorities' choice-based lettings schemes were helping to improve community cohesion.

‘In areas where choice-based lettings have been introduced satisfaction seems to be higher and families from one ethnic group are choosing to move to other areas,' she said.

The trend had been found to be true particularly in northern cities such as Bolton, Bradford and Leeds, she added. ‘I do not say this is a silver bullet,' Ms Kelly said. ‘But it is interesting that people do not seem to aspire to live in segregated communities.'

The communities secretary said traditional housing allocation regimes were seen as opaque and that decisions were made in ‘smoke-filled rooms'.

Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government showed that 32 per cent of local authorities had choice-based lettings in place and 56 per cent had submitted plans for the change.

The DCLG would be contacting the rest to ensure they meet the target of all local authorities having the system in place by 2010, a spokesperson said.

Robert Latham, a barrister from Doughty Street Chambers, said he was concerned that choice-based lettings schemes could lead to vulnerable people being disadvantaged in a bidding war.  
‘I would accept choice-based lettings have the potential to create more sustainable communities,' he said. ‘Tenants will not be forced to live where they do not want to live.

‘But it seems to me essential for any local authority to monitor how choice-based lettings are actually allocated, to make sure the higher quality accommodation is being allocated to those who are vulnerable as well.'

Joe McLoughlin, business development manager for Home Connections, an organisation that co-ordinates choice-based lettings services across London, agreed there was a need to monitor schemes.

‘There are mechanisms in place to make sure vulnerable people are using the service,' he said. ‘It's our experience that if you give people more flexibility and choice they will act quite differently. People are making informed choices and being more flexible. It has helped to overcome fears and stereotypes.'

Tenants chose the areas where they wanted to live for a variety of reasons which included living close to a certain school, a place with good transport or near employment, he added.

Steve Douglas, deputy chief executive of the Housing Corporation, said there was clear evidence that choice-based lettings worked well. ‘We have seen people making choices which are about living in different communities,' he said.