Summary
The Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 enables local authorities (LAs) to provide discretionary assistance to households living in their area, for the purpose of improving living conditions. This can be for carrying-out repairs, improvements or adaptations.
In order to make use of these powers, Thanet District Council is required to publish a Housing Assistance Policy. This 2026 policy document replaces the Housing Assistance and Disabled Adaptations Policy adopted in July 2019.
The policy was further updated to include a new Section 10 that outlines community accessibility enhancements, expanding the council’s discretionary assistance to include public infrastructure projects that improve mobility and independence across the district.
Consultation details
The second consultation was open from Friday 3 July to Sunday 16 August. Participants could respond through the council’s Your Voice Thanet platform.
The finding found strong agreements with the council’s plans and the new section 10. No major changes were made to the policy and it was subsequently published to the council’s policy page.
Total responses: 3
Response 1
- Project: Housing Assistance Policy
- Connection to Thanet: Employed / Work in the area
- Main interest in this draft policy: I rent a property in Thanet from a private landlord
- Does Section 10.0 clearly explain why we are proposing to use recycling Better Care Fund money for public spaces projects?: Yes
- To what extent do you agree that in changing the policy, we are still protecting the main support people need in their own homes?: Strongly agree
- Further suggestions or comments: None provided
Response 2
- Project: Housing Assistance Policy
- Connection to Thanet: Resident
- Main interest in this draft policy: I own a property in Thanet
- Does Section 10.0 clearly explain why we are proposing to use recycling Better Care Fund money for public spaces projects?: Yes
- To what extent do you agree that in changing the policy, we are still protecting the main support people need in their own homes?: Agree
- Further suggestions or comments: no
Response 3
- Project: Housing Assistance Policy
- Connection to Thanet: Resident
- Main interest in this draft policy: I rent a property in Thanet from a private landlord
- Does Section 10.0 clearly explain why we are proposing to use recycling Better Care Fund money for public spaces projects?: Don’t know
- To what extent do you agree that in changing the policy, we are still protecting the main support people need in their own homes?: Agree
- Further suggestions or comments: None provided