A RADICAL overhaul in the way tenants apply for council houses will give residents in Stockton more choice in where they live.

People on Stockton Borough Council's housing list will soon be able to bid for houses that become vacant under its choice-based lettings scheme.

It means tenants will be able to pick and choose where they live and council leaders hope it will lead to more sustainable communities.

More power will also be given to housing teams who will now have the authority to refuse housing list applicants who have a history of anti-social behaviour.

Those accepted on the register will be placed into one of three bands: people with an urgent need to move, people with a need to move, and people with no need to move but who want to.

Each house will also be designated, in advertising, as suitable for a certain type of tenant.

Categories will include pets, children, type and size of property, and facilities for the disabled.

Stockton council's head of housing, Julie Allport, said the authority, which owns 13,000 homes, is already in consultation with tenants about the shake-up. She said: "This is all about offering choice and flexibility to our tenants. It is also designed to be much more transparent.

"Therefore, decisions on allocations will be published so people can see what they need to get higher up the list.

"It will also help people get into parts of Stockton where they really want to live. That, in turn, should mean they want to stay there, so that area becomes more sustainable.

"Also, if people have a say in where they live, they are much more likely to treat that place well."

Council bosses hope the key to the new system will be widespread advertising of recently available properties.

Applicants will then be able to bid for homes that most suit their needs.

The homes will be allocated to the tenants who have been waiting longest on the housing list.

Results of the bidding process will also be made public.

Stockton council's cabinet approved the scheme at a meeting last week and it will be introduced in the new year.