Agenda item

To approve the Strategy and recommended to Council approval and adoption

Report of the Interim Strategic Director of Adult Care and Housing

Advisory Cabinet Member – Councillor Lelliott

Recommended:-  That the Rotherham Housing Strategy 2016-2019 be adopted by Council on 2nd March, 2016.

Consideration was given to a report presented by Councillor Wallis, Cabinet Member for Housing, which detailed the extensive consultation which had taken place with staff, partners, residents and other stakeholders with over 2,000 responses.   Members have been engaged in the review and refresh of the Housing Strategy with a Members Seminar held on 4^th February 2015.

The Strategy had now been refreshed and the new draft, which covered the period between January, 2016 and December, 2018, was based on a sound evidence base and reflected the views of people living and working in Rotherham under five themes:-

·             Increasing the number of homes – housing growth.

·             Ensuring affordable rented/social housing is available for those who can’t afford or don’t want to buy a home.

·             Improving quality in the private rented sector, the fastest growing tenure in Rotherham.

·             Increasing opportunities for first time buyers and other households seeking affordable home ownership.

·             Ensuring a wide range of specialist housing that is suitable for older people and other specific groups.

The draft Housing Strategy provided residents with a clear and accessible document setting out how the Council was responding to the various housing challenges and what it intended to do.  It also pulled together in a single document, the key housing aims and objectives from other more detailed plans.

The Strategy had been written at a time that could herald the most significant changes for housing in a generation.  The Housing and Planning Bill was progressing through the parliamentary system and if passed would bring enormous changes to planning, house building and social housing systems.  Amidst the undoubted opportunities elements of the Bill provide, there were also very real challenges ahead, particularly for social housing system, which would make it increasingly difficult for people on modest incomes to afford suitable rented accommodation.

The Council will have to operate with a much lower level of resources than in previous years due to Government public spending cuts, and the social rent reduction which further reduced the Housing Revenue Account capacity to deliver housing growth and other key services.  This would be compounded by the Enforced Sale levy which Government intends to impose on local authorities to pay for housing association Right to Buy discounts.  The Council must, therefore, work in innovative and entrepreneurial ways with partners to deliver on the housing growth ambitions.

Dave Richmond, Assistant Director for Housing, Asset Management and Neighbourhoods, further emphasised the Council was having to work differently and embrace working with the private sector much more in order to find ways to deliver the objectives.

Commissioner Ney noted the theme on housing growth did not include reference to expectations on developers in relation to affording housing and mixed community tenure, nor did it include whether Council land would contribute or used as leverage for affordable housing to facilitate this.

Dave Richmond, Assistant Director for Housing, Asset Management and Neighbourhoods, confirmed some of the points were picked up as part of Section 3 for social housing.  However, it was also noted that the Housing and Planning Bill could make significant changes to the Section 106 Agreements and could lead to further implications on social housing for the Council.

Councillor Steele, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, sought clarification on the number of houses sold through Right to Buy and how much revenue was allocated to the Council from the sale of housing stock and was advised due to the Right to Buy promotion by Government numbers had rapidly increased to around 130 per annum with the Council keeping only 20-30% of the sale value with the rest returned to the Treasury.  As indicated previously the Housing Planning Bill would have a significant impact on the affordability of homes and could lead to increased Right to Buy requests.  This would impact significantly on the thirty year business plan with further difficult challenges.

Councillor Roche, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, endorsed the report and in doing so highlighted the additional pressures as a result of an aging population, which could be alleviated with good quality housing options.

Recommended:-  That the Rotherham Housing Strategy 2016-2019 be adopted by Council on 2nd March, 2016.