Agenda item

The Select Commission received the following presentation from Tom Bell and Jane Davies on the progress of the 2016/19 Housing Strategy:-

 

Housing Growth: Progress

·           Starter Homes Bid – 450 in Rotherham, focused on programme in town centre – report to Cabinet on 10/10/16

·           Sale of HRA owned sites/ site cluster deal/ custom build – sold 12 sites since Christmas and planning applications coming forward

·           Strategic acquisitions

·           Bassingthorpe Farm – Garden Villages bid

·           SCR Social and Affordable Housing Compact

 

Housing Growth: Current Priorities

·           Starter Homes programme – establishing delivery arrangements

·           Housing Masterplan

·           Shared Ownership and Affordable Housing Programme Bid – potential Sheffield City Region collaboration

·           Exploring options for creating a Housing Company/joint venture partnership

·           Developer summit October 2016

 

Social Housing

·           Housing Revenue Account Business Plan updated and Asset Management Strategy produced

·           New Tenancy  Agreement produced/DVD produced

·           Tenant Involvement Strategy published

·           Tenant Conference

·           Strategic Housing Advisory Panel

·           STAR tenant satisfaction survey completed with excellent results

·           Tenant Participation

 

Social Housing Current Priorities

·           Exploring new ways of delivering social housing in the future

·           Exploring a transitional landlord scheme

·           New initiatives to reduce Right to Buy fraud

·           Marking affordable home ownership opportunities

·           Developing a new Strategic Tenancy Policy

·           Preparing to implement “Pay to Stay”

·           Tenant profiling

 

Private rented sector: Progress

·           Little London – decision to negotiate acquisition

·           Strategic review of Selective Licensing

·           Further contract awarded to deliver loft and cavity wall insulation for private householders, funded by Central Government

·           Continuing to work with private landlords to improve the private sector

 

 

Current priorities:

 

·           Deliver Improvements to The Little London Estate

·           Conducting Selective Licensing Review

·           Diversifying the Offer of Private Rented House

 

Affordable Home Ownership:

·           Starter Homes and Rent to Buy

·           Understanding markets for affordable home ownership

·           Developing communication strategy – new website

·           Deliver shared ownership

 

Specialist Housing

·           Vision for housing for older people

·           Extra care housing

·           Six units of short stay accommodation allocated in Shaftesbury House

·           HRA site identified for development of a wide range of specialist schemes

·           New children’s homes approved, being developed in partnership with CYPS

·           Action Housing – new scheme for young people

·           Developing the housing offer for people with learning disabilities

·           Holding an event in October to engage with developers and stimulate the market for specialist housing in Rotherham

 

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised/highlighted:- 

 

·           The Strategy was available on the Council’s website.  A hard copy would be sent on request

 

·           The Strategy did not consider land for development.  When land was sold the permission of Cabinet was required.  A report that was submitted over a year ago which enabled the release of sites had included over 150 sites

 

·           A working group had been established to examine the Pay to Stay Policy and consider how the data would be collected.  Government guidance was awaited

 

·           Many of the Indicators were annual for the purpose of Government returns, building new homes.  There would not be full accurate information to measure outcomes on a quarterly basis

 

·           Clarity was required with regard to Repairs and Maintenance as it appeared as if the position had deteriorated.  There had been a struggle with rent recovery but measures had been put into place

 

·           A significant amount of funding in the budget to ensure that Decent Homes were brought back into decency in year and the target would be met.  Every year properties fell out of decency. 

 

·           There were Asset Management and Investment plans to improve stock.  There was good progress on external wall insulation and properties targeted without cavity wall insulation or fuel poor.  There had been a massive programme in relation to the traditional housing stock

 

·           Housing regeneration was very important with increasing pressures from Legislation which meant it was more difficult due to the Government agenda on home ownership rather than social and rented 

 

·           Tentative steps were being taken on new ways of delivering social housing.  A collaboration between the Local Authority and a developer who owned a site to build 20 specialist new homes at Rawmarsh. A report had been submitted to Cabinet containing the site cluster programme

 

·           When the properties were sold under Right to Buy only 30% came back into the Council’s Capital budget that could be used for the next home built as the sum was discounted to the purchaser rather than market value  

 

·           A report had been submitted to Cabinet seeking approval of a contract for a developer who would work as an agent to the Council covering 7 sites.  1 site could sell immediately with the other 6 sitting derelict for many years as the cost of building the properties would be more than the return.  The developer would design the sites in partnership with the Council and submit a planning application in due course

 

·           There were low levels of Right to Buy fraud in Rotherham.  Credit checks were being put into place, together with face-to-face meetings, so as to avoid unscrupulous organisations benefitting from such purchases.  It did not preclude sons and daughters from purchasing the property for their parents but the Council needed to understand where the money had come from 

 

·           It would be helpful to know how many people were occupying the specialist housing and what the waiting list was due to concern regarding consultation and members of the public being able to understand what kind of housing application they were making.  There had been a lot of work on mapping and gathering intelligence.  In terms of support for people with learning disabilities, the work was being led by Adult Social Care 

 

·           There were a series of priority “bands” depending upon the needs of the household

 

·           On the cluster sites it was hoped to deliver 3/4 units for specialist needs on a case-by-case basis 

 

·           The number of those homeless due to mental health issues was incredibly small

 

·           There had been a doubling of rents in the private rented sector in the last decade.  Work was being undertaken to improve standards and with the help of enforcement.  A programme of long term empty property acquisition had commenced together with consideration as to how new properties could be built that were rented privately. Strenuous efforts were being made to avoid having a multitude of absent landlords as well as rent to buy so households could shift from renting to purchasing

 

Resolved:-  That the progress made to date against the commitments in the Housing Strategy be noted.