Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health

Recommendations:-

1.    That the Housing Strategy 2019-22 be approved.

Consideration was given to the report which detailed the new Housing Strategy 2019-22.  The strategy had been developed in consultation with tenants and residents, officers and key stakeholders and set out the updated strategic priorities for housing over the next 3 years.

Following extensive consultation with partners and stakeholders, 4 strategic priorities have emerged and would form the key areas of focus in the Housing Strategy:-

·                Providing new homes to meet Rotherham’s housing need.

·                Investing in Rotherham’s existing housing and communities.

·                Improving people’s health, wellbeing and independence through housing.

·                Working in partnership to deliver the housing vision and to increase opportunities for all.

The Council was in the middle of its Housing Growth Programme where £57 million had been committed to deliver 576 new homes in an attempt to provide housing for people in need.

A key theme that would continue to be taken forward over the period of this new Strategy was to create communities and thriving neighbourhoods through the building of homes for people as there was a direct link between inequality and deprivation and the presence of poor housing. 

Standards were rising through the provision of good quality housing and the Selective Licensing Scheme, which was already in operation in in several areas of the Borough.   This was now moving forward to include additional areas.

Stakeholders and Elected Members, through the Scrutiny process, had fed into the consultation and the service was now doing what it could to push forward with the Strategy over the next 3 years. 

The Housing Strategy would be monitored by the Strategic Housing Forum with a clear set of actions which the progress would be monitored against.

Thanks and appreciation was given to staff for the work over the last 6 to 9 months in bringing this together into the format now for consideration.

Resolved:-  That the Housing Strategy 2019-22 be approved.