Agenda item

Report from the Executive Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations

That Cabinet:

1.    Notes the continued progress made in delivering the Council’s Housing Delivery Programme, including the delivery of 55 new homes in the period covered by this report, and the ongoing work to deliver 1,000 new Council homes by Summer 2027.

2.    Approves the delivery and purchase of homes from any of the schemes identified in Exempt Appendices 1 and 2b, subject to affordability and alignment with current and future programme objectives and the Council’s capital approval processes.

3.    Approves the programme changes outlined in this report to facilitate the delivery of 1,000 new homes ‘on time’ (by Summer 2027) and ‘on budget’ (within the financial resources allocated to the Programme from the Housing Revenue Account). This includes the removal and addition of specific schemes as outlined in Table 3, paragraph 2.4.

4.    Approves the appropriation of 18 St Edmunds Avenue (see Appendix 4) into the Housing Revenue Account (subject to Secretary of State approval if required), and work to convert the property into four 1-bedroom flats for use as Council homes via the Market Acquisitions workstream (see paragraphs 2.11 and 2.12).

5.    Approves the appropriation of land at Canklow (see plan attached at Appendix 5) into the Housing Revenue Account to enable the delivery of two Council homes as part of the housing delivery programme (see paragraph 2.7).

6.    Agrees the intention to undertake initial feasibility work and technical due diligence on up to 18 Council-owned sites (Appendix 6) to assess their development potential for the future delivery of new social and affordable homes, and to inform any subsequent decision to develop or dispose of the land (see paragraph 2.16).

7.    Agrees to delegate authority to the Service Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to make any necessary substitutions or changes to the agreed site list (Recommendation 6) to ensure that the programme of feasibility work and technical due diligence remains deliverable and aligned with strategic priorities.

8.    Agrees to delegate authority to the Service Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to appoint appropriate consultants to carry out this work following the Council’s procurement process.

9.    Agrees to delegate authority to the Service Director of Housing, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer and Service Director of Legal Services, to enter into a Grant Funding Agreement with the Homes and Communities Agency (trading as ‘Homes England’) in relation to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026 – 2036 (see paragraph 2.37).

10.Agrees to continue to receive an update on the Housing Development Programme every six months.