Issue - meetings

To consider the Housing Strategy Action Plan progress for 2021/22.

That the Housing Strategy Action Plan progress for 2021-2022 be NOTED.  

70.1          The report of the Housing Services Manager, circulated at Pages No. 19-79, presented the Committee with an action plan for 2021/22 which formulated the actions to continue to meet the priorities in line with the strategy; and a summary of the key activities which had been achieved during the year. Members were asked to consider the Housing Strategy Action Plan progress for 2021/22.

70.2          A Member asked a question about the idea of Tewkesbury Borough Council providing social housing in partnership with a Housing Association as it was generally agreed that affordable housing needed to be more affordable. In response, the Chief Executive confirmed that Members had had informal discussions about whether the Council could try and work in partnership with a Registered Social Landlord to provide a greater percentage of social housing and, in turn, ensure a higher percentage of actual affordable housing. The Housing Services Manager confirmed that, in the last couple of years, there had been a big swing in the evidence base demand for social rent as well as a change in the approach Homes England took in asking for all rented tenures to be social rent. The key was having housing providers on board and to try and encourage them to change tenures to social rent. In simple terms, there was more focus in the new strategy on social rent rather than affordable rent. The Chief Executive advised that it would be difficult for the Council to get into housing development as housing stock required a lot of administrative/funding arrangements of the Council which were resources it simply did not have; however, there would be a focus on social rented homes in the new Housing Strategy moving forward. In addition, Officers were looking at the commuted sum spend with Registered Providers. In terms of requesting affordable housing, the Housing Services Manager confirmed there was a cascade for negotiating affordable housing and the Council used the evidence base to request that 60% of the 40% of affordable housing should be rented and that 100% of that should be social rent.

70.3          In terms of the community fund of £380,000, the Council had so far spent £17,000 for the relief of people at risk of losing their tenancies. This was a fund which the Council drew down rather than it being allocated per property; this meant the Council was getting the share it needed.

70.4          Accordingly, it was