A twelve-week consultation on Cheshire East’s social housing allocations opened on 8 June, giving residents of Macclesfield and the wider borough a direct say on who gets priority for a council home. With roughly 1,400 properties becoming available each year but over 10,000 applicants on the register, the Cheshire East Council is refreshing the rulebook that governs its Cheshire Homechoice scheme.
The draft Common Allocations Policy tackles four areas: bringing the council’s processes into line with current homelessness legislation, tightening the evidence applicants must supply, reviewing who counts as having a local connection, and setting clearer rules around extra bedrooms for live-in carers. Councillor Mick Warren, cabinet member for planning, housing and regeneration, said the authority wanted a policy that “remains fair, transparent and responsive to local need.”
Residents, community partners and other stakeholders can submit feedback through the council’s surveys portal, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0300 123 55 00. All responses will be fed into the final draft before it goes before the council for formal approval. The exercise is shaped by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, which placed new duties on councils to step in earlier to prevent and relieve homelessness, often by fast-tracking access to settled social housing.
The council has not proposed specific changes to its priority bands at this stage, but the review signals an attempt to keep the system workable in a borough where competition for a social tenancy is fierce. The window closes on 30 August 2026, leaving the summer for residents to have their say on a document that will quietly shape thousands of lives.
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