Housing Strategy

The Council’s Equality and Diversity Framework details the Council’s commitment to achieve equality of opportunity in all it does and seeks to ensure that everyone can take a full part in the social, cultural and economic life of the borough. This is regardless of a person’s protected characteristics which are set out in the Equality Act 2010, consisting of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. The Council has also developed an Equality Action Plan which sets out the equality objectives that the Council aims to achieve.

The Council also carries out customer access reviews which are designed to examine how existing or new services or policies affect the protected characteristic groups. The Customer Access Reviews help the Council meet the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) which is made up of the general duty and specific duties. The aims of the general duty are:

1. Putting an end to unlawful behaviour including discrimination, harassment and victimisation
2. Advance equal opportunities between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not
3. Foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The Housing Service complete customer access reviews as part of the review process of any existing policy or strategy, or when a new policy or strategy is developed. They ensure that the services we provide are accessible to all and also ensure employees provide support to tenants as required.

Vulnerable People

The Council has developed a Vulnerable Adults Housing Policy which sets out how vulnerable adults can access the Housing Service and how the service has adapted to meet the needs of vulnerable adults. It also sets out how vulnerable adults are identified and the types of support which are available.

The Council recognises that a person may be vulnerable as a result of a single problem or condition, or due to a combination of factors. Vulnerability can also occur at different points in a person’s life and may be temporary or permanent.

Where it is believed that an adult with care and support needs or a child is at risk of harm due to abuse or neglect, a safeguarding referral will be made to Social Services to protect the adult or child from harm in accordance with the Council’s Safeguarding Policy.

Care Leavers

The Council’s Care Leavers Policy outlines the Council’s commitment to support young people on their journey from care to independence. It also identifies the opportunities the Council can provide to empower care leavers to realise their potential and make constructive choices that will in turn help shape their future.

Every young person between 16 and 25 years of age that is in care or is a care leaver, will be provided with a Pathway Plan by Kent County Council. The Pathway Plan will be started by a Social Worker when the care leaver turns 16 and will set out their needs, views, future goals and what support they will receive.

All care leavers that are currently accommodated by their local authority in the Dartford area will be entitled to apply to join the housing register at the age of 18 years old. There are different kinds of housing with support and care leavers will have a say on where they wish to live once they have left care. Support and opportunities will also be offered to care leavers in other areas such as health, employment and financially.

The Kent Housing Group (KHG) have also developed a Joint Working Protocol for Young People in partnership with Kent County Council and the 12 District and Borough Councils across Kent. The purpose of the protocol is to guide each relevant organisation on the approach to supporting young people aged 16 and 17 and care leavers aged 18 or over. This includes promoting the responsibility of all professionals to ensure that young people have access to inclusive independent advice that will enable them to make informed decisions and choices.

Disability

It is difficult to measure the number of people with a disability as the definitions of disability vary and often depend on an individual’s own perception on health as to whether the condition is disabling.

The definition of disability as set out in the Equality Act 2010 is a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on a person’s ability to do normal activities.

The 2021 Census found that 15.9% of Dartford’s population identified as being disabled. Of this, 6.6% of people’s activities are limited a lot and 9.3% of people’s activities are limited a little.

Benefits data also gives an indication on the number of people who are disabled as it provides an accurate count of people claiming disability benefits and the age and sex of those claimants. There are three types of disability benefits which can be claimed. These are Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA) and a Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

As of November 2023, there were 9,494 (8%) people claiming a disability benefit in Dartford. The number of claimants had increased by 944 on the previous year, an 11% change. Across Kent, the most common cause for claiming a disability benefit was a physical disability or health condition (61.4%), followed by claims for a mental health problem (22.9%) and then a learning difficulty (15.7%).

Housing Register Applicants

The Council gives reasonable preference to housing applicants who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, which includes any grounds relating to a disability in line with the Housing Act 1996. The Council’s Housing Allocations Policy places applicants with high medical or welfare needs in Band A which is the highest priority band. The Council will also assist any applicants who require support in joining the housing register. As of August 2024, our housing register shows there are 60 people waiting for adapted or adaptable properties.  The Council will continue to seek the provision of adapted/adaptable properties on sites as part of the planning process.

Aids and Adaptations

The Council provides an adaptations service for council tenants who are disabled, those living with a long term illness or in cases where a tenant requires an aid or adaptation to assist them in their day to day living. This may include instances where a tenant or immediate family member is neurodivergent, or for a tenant who is elderly or frail. The Council’s Aids and Adaptations Policy sets out the process Council tenants should follow when requesting adaptations and the criteria by which adaptations requests are assessed.

Disabled residents are also able to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which can be used towards the cost of adaptations works in their home. This assistance may be provided to homeowners, private tenants and those who live in a houseboat or caravan, as well as Council and housing association tenants. More information is set out in our Disabled Facilities Grants Policy.

Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople

The term ‘gypsies and travellers’ cover a range of groups with different histories, cultures and beliefs including Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers. The national Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) defines gypsies and travellers as:

‘Persons of nomadic habit of life whatever their race or origin, including such persons who on grounds only of their own or their family’s or dependants’ educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily or permanently, but excluding members of an organised group of travelling showpeople or circus people travelling together as such.'

Of the total population in Dartford, 0.44% identified as Gypsy or Irish Traveller in the 2021 Census.

The PPTS defines travelling showpeople as:

‘Members of a group organised for the purposes of holding fairs, circuses or shows (whether or not travelling together as such). This includes such persons who on the grounds of their own or their family’s or dependants’ more localised pattern of trading, educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily or permanently, but excludes Gypsies and Travellers as defined above’.

The Council owns and manages a site in Dartford, which is a public site in the borough, and has responsibility for the fair allocation of pitches with consideration given to the suitability of applicants. The site contains 12 pitches. There was (as of June 2019) also other provision, including: 16 privately authorised Gypsy and Traveller sites in the borough with 45 pitches and 1 travelling showpeople yard with 7 plots.

A Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) was carried out in 2019 as part of the evidence for the preparation of the Local Plan. The GTAA aims to provide an assessment of current and future need for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation in the borough for the period 2019 to 2035. The GTAA identified that most of the need required is due to aging children who would need their own caravan.

Table 4 below shows the predicted need for gypsies, travellers and travelling show people split across the different periods to 2035. Between 2019 and 2023, the Council have approved 35 pitches. The Dartford Plan has allocated three sites in order to address the need for gypsies, travellers and travelling show people.