Social Landlord Service: Additional Support Policy

11.1. Addressing the needs of people requiring additional support is a key business requirement as many of the risks faced by these tenants are passed on to the Council, as example through disruption to rental income. A sustained tenancy in most cases will be more cost effective than a homeless or crisis situation requiring intensive interventions and support by the Council and other agencies.

11.2. Failure to identify and support tenants who require additional support could result in a higher levels of property turnover, increased repair and maintenance costs and higher demand on both the Social Housing Landlord Service and other services. Failure to provide an inclusive and equitable service to tenants, could lead to reputational damage, a breach of the Regulator of Social Housing's Consumer Standards and in particular the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard or a discrimination claim being made against the Council. If the Council does not act compatibly with human rights, individuals who are adversely affected can challenge this by raising a complaint or bringing a claim in the courts. This can be in the form of a stand-alone human rights claim, or, if a person is already involved in legal proceedings against a public body, then they can add a human rights claim to those proceedings. For the Council, this is most likely to occur in those legal cases where the judge has a limited amount of discretion (as example where the Council are seeking possession on a mandatory ground). A person challenging a public authority decision (as example in relation to allocations, assignment, succession) through judicial review can also claim that the decision violated their human rights.