WANT a council house? Your circumstances and whether you're a good neighbour could determine how quickly that happens, after the city council introduced a new policy for housing allocations.

The new scheme, which came into effect at City of York Council on May 1, is based on bands, and replaces the existing points-based approach.

Authority officers also want to reduce the time it takes to let vacant properties - and it was felt a band-based system was the best way to evaluate housing applications.

The system works by placing applicants in one of five bands of differing levels of priority, ranging from "very urgent" to "no priority".

Applications are assessed according to the applicant's circumstances, and then placed in the highest band that their circumstances allow.

Within each band, applicants are ranked in order of the date that their application was accepted.

Housing allocations, as well as nominations to housing associations, are made to the applicant in the highest band, who has been waiting the longest.

Properties for which there is less demand will be allocated using a choice-based lettings system, which allows applicants to bid for them.

Existing tenants who want to transfer to another property can apply to be "good neighbours", which means that they will be given prior consideration for empty homes so long as they have not breached their tenancy agreement during the last three years.

Melanie Holland, of the council's housing team, said: "The new policy has been developed based on feedback that we have received and examples of best practice from other local authorities.

"We have moved completely away from the old points-based approach and gone for a system that takes better account of people's circumstances and the length of time they have been waiting."

Anyone who wants more information about the new allocations policy can visit the council's website at ww.york.gov.uk/housing

Or they can pick up a copy of a summary leaflet from the customer advice centre at 10-12 George Hudson Street, the Finance and Housing Centre, in Library Square, or the Acomb Housing Office, in York Road.

Updated: 09:45 Friday, May 05, 2006