Agenda item

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The Director of Housing and Neighbourhood Services reported that, as part of the coalition Government’s intention to shift power from Westminster to councils and communities, it was carrying out a fundamental review of social housing as set out in a consultation document: Local Decisions: a fairer future for Social Housing.

The Government’s stated intention was to make the social housing system fairer, striking a proper balance between the needs of new and existing tenants to ensure that the support, which social housing provided, was focused on those who needed it most for as long as they needed it.

The consultation document proposed new powers for local authorities and housing associations so that they could make best use of their housing in a way which better met the needs of individual households and their local area.

The Reform had 5 key objectives:-

-        To enable localism, fairness and focus social housing on those most in need in a way that enabled them to use it as a springboard to opportunity

-        That social housing was flexible and available to more people and to those that genuinely needed it

-        To make the best use of the 4 million social rented homes

-        To increase the freedoms available to all social landlords to determine the sort of tenancy they granted to new tenants

-        To protect the rights of existing tenants

There would be a change in the law to deliver many of the reforms and it was intended that the Decentralisation and Localism Bill would do this.

The deadline for responses was 17^th January, 2011.

Discussion ensued on the report with the following highlighted:-

o       The recent CSR announcement included a delay in the introduction of the changes to the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system until 2012/13

o       Consultation

• was to include discussions with the Strategic Housing Partnership and inclusion on the website. 
• Consultation was limited due to the timescale imposed
• That an overview of what the Authority thought its role for housing in Rotherham was included with the consultation questionnaire

o       It appeared that the Government thought that social housing was an emergency service for vulnerable people and to those that had a duty of care

o       Succession

• Support for the changed tenancy succession until in a position where there was sufficient housing to fulfil need
• Only stated the spouse or partner and nothing about offsprings?

o       Council Housing Finance

• Support for the financial reforms which allowed the Council to be in control of its finances and able to build Council houses if it so wished

o       Affordable Rents

•  Should be linked to the average income of the area

o       Homlessness

• If a homeless person was offered a reasonable opportunity to secure accommodation for themselves and they refused it, then it should be considered that the duty had been discharged including an offer from the private sector
• A number of the homeless were ex-Forces personnel

o       Tenancies

• In order to get the best out of tenants and enable them to live a fulfilled life in all aspects of life, they had to feel secure in their tenancy
• Disincentive to find employment because of the consequences of their improved financial situation
• Would encourage tenants to be less than truthful with their financial circumstances for fear of having to leave their tenancy

o       Allocations

§         The Government would determine what categories people should fall into in terms of vulnerability etc which would be dictated to Local Authorities.  Local Authorities would have some degree of discretion as to who was allowed onto the waiting list thereby allowing certain guidelines but there would only be 1 waiting list

§         If a family genuinely did not need to move they would not be considered

§         Fear of establishing ghettos for the poor

§         Would establish a whole new system of bureaucracy when informing tenants 6 months before their 2 year tenancy expired and the skills required by officers when counselling tenants

§         No incentive for tenants to pay their rent/tidy gardens/decorate/put down roots because they knew there were only in the property short term

o       The wish to cease Right to Buy if it could be proven that the community was in need of social housing

o       The Right to Rent if it could be proven that the public wished to rent from the Council – likely increased demand for social housing due to increasing debt levels i.e. students

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Panel’s comments made be included in the consultation response.

(2)  That a reminder be sent to all Members of the Council of the importance of participating in the consultation.