FAMILIES looking to move into one of North Staffordshire's most deprived neighbourhoods will no longer be vetted.

Since 2001, Aspire Housing has been able to prevent unsuitable tenants moving into social housing in Knutton and Cross Heath, as part of the joint local lettings policy (LLP).

The aim of the LLP was to increase the length of tenancies, cut anti-social behaviour and increase demand for homes in the area.

Housing officers at Aspire and Newcastle Borough Council say these objectives have now been achieved, meaning there is no longer a need to treat the area as a special case.

Over the nine years the LLP has been running, the number of void properties in Knutton and Cross Heath has fallen from 91 to eight, while the length of time properties are left empty has been slashed by two-thirds to 46 days.

Crime has also fallen from 1,332 reported incidents in 2001, to 706 in 2009.

Caroline Baggaley, head of housing at Aspire, said these results had been achieved through a combination of the LLP and other schemes, such as Renew North Staffordshire and the neighbourhood management pathfinder.

She said: "In 2001, Knutton and Cross Heath was an area of very low demand, with unpopular and poor quality housing. People who moved into the area didn't tend to stay very long and there was a lot of anti-social behaviour.

"The LLP put in place a couple of measures to try to turn the situation around.

"First we would limit the number of families coming on to the estates. But we would also ensure there was a support network for new tenants."

One of the problems the area faced in 2001 was the high number of large families, which resulted in groups of youngsters hanging about on the streets.

The LLP allowed Aspire to interview families looking to move into the area and bypass them if there had been previous issues relating to anti-social behaviour.

All new Aspire tenants are visited by housing staff at regular intervals during their first year so any problems can be identified.

Six months ago, the policy was changed so only "high risk" applicants would be interviewed, as few families were being turned away.

Mrs Baggaley admitted the LLP would not have been so successful if it had not been for the £25 million invested in housing renewal in the area over the past six years.

She added: "It would be wrong to say the area does not still have problems.

"But as a result of the LLP and other measures, Knutton and Cross Heath have now been brought back into the mainstream."

The LLP originally covered 1,200 properties in Knutton and Cross Heath, with a further 272 homes in Lower Milehouse added in 2007.

Officers at the borough council have recommended cabinet members end the LLP, following a review carried out by Aspire earlier this year.

The report to cabinet states: "Policies such as the LLP are only designed to be used for a limited time to deliver specific objectives, and these have been achieved in Knutton and Cross Heath."

The cabinet will make a decision on the report when its meets next Wednesday.