Borough residents are being asked to comment on how Dudley Council lets its properties in the future.

Dudley Council is currently landlord to more than 21,000 homes including houses, flats and bungalows and has an allocations policy setting out who can apply for a property and who gets priority based on a band system.

The council receives far more applications for housing than it has properties available, so it is reviewing its allocations policy to assess whether existing criteria meets current and future demands on housing stock. The review will make sure the needs of everyone are considered fairly and that the council is making the best use of limited housing stock.

An important part of the review is to gain the thoughts and views of residents within the borough, including existing tenants or people who are thinking about applying for council housing.

In a short survey, residents are asked whether they agree with a number of statements to do with all aspects of the policy. Their responses will help shape the council prioritise actions for the new policy. Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member for housing and community services, said:

"It’s really important we future-proof our allocations policy to ensure we are ready to adapt to change and our council homes are available to let in a fair way to those who need them. We know the demand on our housing stock will continue to increase in the years ahead and there will be a continued shortage of affordable housing, like in many parts of the country.

"We will continue to look at every opportunity to build new affordable housing and work hard to ensure our allocations policy reflects the needs of the population.

"I’d urge tenants and future tenants to take a couple of minutes to complete the short survey so we can understand how they feel and what they think should be prioritised."

The council has been consulting with tenant groups since October and the online survey closes at the end of January. To find out more and to complete the survey people can go to the Dudley Council website.