Dear Aneta Zuck,

Thank you for your request asking for information that we hold as follows, please see our response below in blue:

  1. Current Housing Needs Breakdown
    Please provide the most recent available data on the number of households currently on the housing waiting list in:

For each of these geographies, I request a breakdown by:

    • The entire London Borough of Barnet
    • The wards of Edgware, Edgwarebury, and Burnt Oak (broken down separately if possible)
    • Number of bedrooms required (e.g., 1-bed, 2-bed, 3-bed, 4+ bed)
    • Family composition (e.g., single applicants, couples, families with children)
    • Whether any of these needs relate to supported or specialist housing (e.g., older persons, disability adaptations, etc.)
*Ward information is not held
Number of bedrooms required (e.g., 1-bed, 2-bed, 3-bed, 4+ bed)
Bedroom need Number of applicants
1 1368
2 1105
3 788
4+ 279
Family composition (e.g., single applicants, couples, families with children)
Family composition Number of applicants
Families with children 1776
Families without children 522
Singles 1242
Whether any of these needs relate to supported or specialist housing (e.g., older persons, disability adaptations, etc.)

 

451 applicants with specific property type needs due to disabilities

 

  1. Demand vs. Supply
    Please provide any recent assessments or internal reports (such as from the Housing Needs Team or Planning Policy Team) identifying:

    • The types of housing (by size/bedroom count) most needed in Barnet, with particular reference to the wards of Edgware, Edgwarebury, and Burnt Oak
    • Any mismatch between housing being delivered (including via major planning applications) and identified local need

The table below shows where there is a projected shortfall between supply & demand in 25/26.    We don’t have data to show area where there is higher need.

 

 Comparing total projected supply with projected new demand
25/26
Studio or 1-bed Supply 539
Demand 808
Difference -269
2-bed Supply 438
Demand 612
Difference -174
3-bed Supply 228
Demand 353
Difference -125
4-bed + Supply 28
Demand 85
Difference -57
Total Supply 1233
Demand 1858
Difference -625
Notes:
1. This table is a flat projection of supply vs. demand in 25/26.
2. The supply projection includes social housing, new build, acquisitions, and private rented lets.
3. The demand projection is new demand in 25/26 – i.e. how many cases are projected to be placed into a band under the Council’s Housing Allocation Scheme. It excludes households whose case was assessed before 25/26 and who are already waiting for a long-term offer of accommodation.

 

  1. Affordable Housing Needs
    Please include information on the income thresholds or bands used by the Council when assessing eligibility for affordable housing, and how these relate to the types and sizes of homes prioritised in the above wards.
The London Borough of Barnet’s Housing Allocations scheme sets out in detail who is and is not assisted under the scheme.

Essentially, Social Housing in Barnet, which includes all affordable housing, is allocated by matching people applicants to available Council and Private Registered Provider homes.

The main objective of the scheme is to meet legal requirements and provide a fair and transparent system where people are prioritised for Social Housing, which includes affordable units.

Anyone, over the age of 16, can apply to join the housing register – providing they have a housing need, are eligible and do not sit in one of the non-qualification categories. Barnet has chosen to adopt a  ‘banding system’ , creating 4 bands where people are ranked in date order in each of the 4 bands. Band 1 is the highest band with band 4 being the lowest. In order to be in any of the 4 bands, an applicant must qualify to be on the Register and not be disqualified under any of the other adopted rules.

Section 160 of the Housing Act 1996 part VI allows Councils to set criteria for persons who do not qualify. The London Borough of barnet has adopted a number of these non-qualifying categories, one of which looks at if an applicant has ‘sufficient financial resource’ when determining non qualification. The Policy details clearly that an applicant who ‘owns a home, has income or assets exceeding limits set by the Council using median income data from the ONS, they will not qualify.

The total gross income and income from benefits of the applicant and their partner must not exceed the median income for a household in Barnet. This median income is taken from Paycheck Income data for Barnet.

Household size Median income Households with no children £54,713

Households with 1 child £56,910 Households with 2 children £59,282

Households with 3 or more children £58,944

When considering benefit income,  all benefits are considered excluding:

• ESA (support component only)

• Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity Component of Universal Credit

• DLA / PIP

• Statutory sick pay

• Maternity / paternity pay

In all cases an assessment of the applicant and the applicants’ partner’s income and savings is completed. The limit on savings remains at £30,000, if the income or savings levels are in excess of the levels cited above the applicant will not normally be placed into a band or offered social housing.

Sufficient financial resource includes:

  • Any assets and investments (even if they are not immediately available)
  • An applicant or their partner have resources above £30,000.00 capital or savings.
  • Ownership of residential property in the UK or elsewhere. Former owners of residential property within the last 5 years will be required to provide proof of proceeds of any sale and how these proceeds have been disposed of before determination of their qualification/disqualification.

Full details can be found in the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy.

At the point of offer of Social Housing and/or an affordable Housing, an applicant’s circumstances are fully reviewed/verified to confirm they remain eligible, do not sit in one of the non-qualifying groups, size of property required etc. When allocating affordable units which are generally 60% market rent, a full financial assessment is completed to determine affordability. In the main, applicants subject to the Benefit cap, where income is significantly reduced, will not be offered one of these units since they would be unaffordable.

 

  1. Historical Context (Optional)
    If available without exceeding cost/time limits, please provide the same data as in Point 1 from five years ago, so that any shifts in need or bedroom requirements can be compared over time.
  1. Bedroom need
 Number of applicants Family composition Number of applicants
1 1235 Families with children 1812
2 1287 Families without children 609
3 648 Singles 963
4+ 214
202 applicants with specific property type needs due to disabilities

 

Your Rights

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request a review by emailing Talk2Us@barnethomes.org and marking it as an appeal for the attention of the Data Controller. There is no charge for making an appeal.

After this, if you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner:

Kind regards,

Carly Williamson

Complaints and Information Manager