Thread: *IMPORTANT* Post-service Housing

The following has been stated by the Housing Minister today. However, I don't remember the Sun Newspaper getting involved in this issue!

At least the issue has been addressed. I look forward to the legislation changes with baited breath.

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...icle625987.ece

The following link is on the BAFF site. It explains the Housing issue in detail and shows the support they have given to this issue. A big thank you for all their support on this campaign. Members of this site as well as other sites have shown great support for this campaign. I hope you will be willing to show as much support for the other campaign. Medical Discharge / War Pension Ideas.

Once again thank you.

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Clause 270 - Armed forces: homelessness and allocation of housing

775. Clause 270 amends section 199 of the Housing Act 1996, which sets out the circumstances when a person has a local connection with the district of a local housing authority. Housing authorities may take account of whether a person has a local connection with their district when considering the person's priority for an allocation of housing under Part 6 of the 1996 Act or when making inquiries about whether the person is homeless and owed a duty for the purposes of Part 7 of the 1996 Act. The effect of the amendment is that a person in the armed forces will now be able to establish a local connection with a district through residence of choice or employment there, in the same way as a civilian.

http://www.baff.org.uk/baff-social-housing-campaign.htm

I would like to know if anyone has been turned doewn for social housing since the government suggested these changes!

It would be great to see if councils are taking any notice yet.

Found the following the other day.

http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=679

http://www.preston.gov.uk/General.as...X9452-A77F89E7

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There is some interesting reading in this link. I have placed a copy of the link on other websites running this thread. I would have to say that Mr Twigg must be looking in another direction if he believes that most Local Authorities give priority to service leavers. It's about time we got a veterans ministers that understood whats going on!



http://www.publications.parliament.u...tm#column_1189


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I have sent the story of how the campaign started to some National Papers and the support given by web sites and other organisations. I believe they will be looking into this nearer the amendment date.

Once again a big thank you to the site and it's members for their support.

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I have placed the following on another secure army site.

I'm sure you will all understand the need to get these questions answered!

To that end I have sent these questions to some MPs' and await their reply


I do believe the JSHAO requires to get more power to assist service leavers when they are about to depart from the forces. But thats another area of debate.

My reason for asking about Annington homes and the Housing Mag is simple; The present discount being offered to service personnel is disgraceful, it's no different to what civilians are offered. And the priority to service leavers has been forgotten about!

The Government has made well OVER 100million in the profit shared agreement with Annington Homes. Why is the JSHAO not asking about better provisions for service leavers? I wouls ask the same of the AFF, and I have in the past.

Taken Before Defence Committee. The Work of Defence Estates Tuesday 15 May 2007.


Q23 Mr Holloway: I think that is very much the point that Mr Jenkins raises. Soldiers that I served with who have now done their 20 years and are just leaving now a lot of them are in all sorts of grief in terms of the property ladder. When do you think some proposals on that might come up?

Vice Admiral Laurence: The policy has been in place now for a couple of years, but there is an inevitable (perhaps "conflict" is too strong a word) balance to be struck between, on the one hand, encouraging unit cohesion and encouraging people to live on the patch, so to speak; and, on the other, encouraging people to buy their own house which brings responsibilities away from the unit. There is a balance to be struck there and I think we are moving forward slowly. I personally think one of the most important factors in all this is to meet the aspirations of our people. If they are wanting to buy houses, if that is what they see as the way ahead, then I think we ought to help them to do so where we can.

Q24 Mr Holloway: They might also be encouraged, because it probably does not occur to a lot of squaddies.

Vice Admiral Laurence: Absolutely.

Mr Olney: As you know, the housing stock is leased back to Annington. Where we do release housing back to Annington they do have a policy of, in effect, first refusal to our former Armed Service. That has certainly happened in a number of cases.


Q25 Chairman: Mr Olney, could we look at a sentence from our brief, and I do not often do this: "... there has been some disquiet that the Service families currently in such properties have not automatically been given first refusal on the purchase of their homes". Is that wrong?

Mr Olney: They do not automatically but they are certainly given help and support to acquire property. The recent one which was in the newspaper was Cottishall where there were a number of former servicemen who acquired property.


Q26 Mr Jones: I was speaking last night to Bob Russell, Member for Colchester, who was quite exercised about this. He said what you have just said is not true; families are not given first priority for these homes. That is why you have the situation about the people camping out. By your answer, I am not really clear what this priority is. What does it actually mean?

Mr Olney: Would it be worthwhile if I provided you with a note, which would provide a fuller answer?

This is the said NOTE I believe the JSHAO should be asking about

Chairman: Certainly it would; but if it leaves us in confusion we might need to ask you to come back in front of the Committee, because it is something that we will want to clear up, so if you could give us a note.

Q27 Mr Jenkins: Could it not include the number of properties actually sold as a total? What the ratio was would be very interesting.

Mr Olney: Could I just clear up that point. We will hand properties back to Annington. I just want to make it clear, we would not sell them.

Mr Jones: We know how it works.

Chairman: Could you give us a note, please. Could you also explain how it is that they are sometimes given the right of first priority but not automatically, and when that difference arises.

Q28 Mr Jones: Chairman, could we have the percentage of homes that have actually been sold; that would be interesting.

Vice Admiral Laurence: We will try to find that information out. I have a feeling it may be difficult to produce, but we will see what figures we have got.

Q29 Mr Jones: Chairman, I am sorry, but if you do not know that information how can you monitor that the actually policy is in place that you just told us about?

Vice Admiral Laurence: It is a fair point.

Mr Hamilton: Mr Olney indicated about selling to housing associations. I might point out that they sell houses; they do not purchase; you cannot buy from housing associations. If you have sold houses in Scotland and you have sold them to housing associations that means effectively that anyone in that house cannot purchase a house because they do not have that policy. If you indicate who you are selling the houses to, you need to also tell us what the policy of that organisation is in relation to the purchases of the council housing. Another thing we should be mindful of is when you are talking to various organisations you should also be mindful that many local authorities prioritise Service personnel when they come back; and, therefore, that should be a factor driven into the issue of selling houses. They should be considering the local authorities who actually prioritise Service personnel who come back in again. It would be interesting to see that.


This is the link to the complete transcript

http://www.publications.parliament.u...er_first_match

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The Government has made £154 million in the profit shared agreement between 1996 upto Dec 2007. The following is a link to the number of properties sold and the end date of this agreement.

I would like to point out that Annington is like any other company, out to make money and invest. It's those within the House of Commons that should be asked questions. Where did the £1.67 billion go from the sale and the figure above!

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Link

http://www.annington.co.uk/downloads...nformation.pdf

This has finally put in place the meaning of the campaign. I hope it also put those that believed it was a waste of time in their place.

If veterans and serving soldiers and their families stand together and voice issues of concern, they will be listened to. However, the issues of concern must be factual with evidence to hand. There are several bodies within the forces that should be representing service personnel and their families. But they are limited on what they are permitted to say or do….

That is why we need an organisation like the BAFF. If you haven’t joined up yet or are unsure, then go to their website and read what they are doing for our veterans and serving soldiers.

http://www.baff.org.uk/index.htm


I believe the actions of the homelessness Legislation Campaign will aid many thousands of service leavers and veterans in the coming years. Maybe the JSHAO could start working on a future project for affordable housing ownership for service personnel at all levels? I do have a paper drawn up on how this could be achieved, if interested then please contact me via PM.

SUMMARY of PAPER
This Circular is issued by the Secretary of State to housing authorities in England under s169 of the Housing Act 1996.
The Circular provides guidance for authorities when framing their allocation scheme to provide for applications from serving and former members of the Armed Forces and gives effect to a commitment in The Nation's Commitment: Cross-Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans, the Command Paper issued by the Ministry of Defence in July 2008.
Housing authorities are required to have regard to the guidance in exercising their functions under Part 6 of the 1996 Act.

Link for main paper to housing rights
http://www.communities.gov.uk/docume...df/1200095.pdf


Housing allocation for members of the armed forces
http://www.communities.gov.uk/public...cesallocations


Regards

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The following link will give you more information on your rights as a service leaver. I would suggest you take as much information as possible before trying to be placed on the waiting list.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/docume...tionletter.pdf


Regards

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