Housing Minister Grant Shapps offered older tenants struggling to manage and heat their large family homes a dedicated officer to find them smaller properties more suited to their needs.
The Minister confirmed that councils from across the country managing the largest number of homes will get a share of £13 million to make it easier for those tenants wanting to move from larger family homes to smaller, more manageable homes, to do so.
Councils will be able to use this funding as they see fit to better meet the needs of their tenants, with measures such as:
The Minister also outlined how he is looking to back councils with a dedicated new national action team based at the Chartered Institute of Housing, available to offer practical support and advice to those councils looking to help tenants wanting to move.
Those tenants in larger properties that are keen to down-size will also benefit from greater opportunities to swap with some of the quarter of a million households in overcrowded accommodation.
The Localism Bill, currently before Parliament, includes measures to make it easier for social housing tenants to move through a new National Home Swap Scheme.
