Issue - meetings

At its meeting on 2 March 2022 the Executive Committee considered the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 be APPROVED, subject to the wording around Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople being reviewed for consistency.

(NB: the attached strategy has been updated following the Executive Committee meeting)

80.1           At its meeting on 2 March 2022, the Executive Committee had considered the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 and recommended that the Strategy be approved, subject to the wording around Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople being reviewed for consistency.

80.2           The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 11-41. The Strategy circulated with the Agenda had been updated following the Executive Committee.

80.3           The Chair of the Executive Committee proposed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the Vice-Chair seconded.

80.4           A Member expressed the view that the objectives were very good and she thanked Officers for their hard work under difficult circumstances. Referring to the consultation responses, she felt the response rate was quite poor and questioned whether this was to do with the jargon used, website navigation issues or the fact that people could not complete the consultation online easily. She also felt the statement that 9% of households were in fuel poverty would likely be out of date soon, that only managing to house 17% was poor given the 510 empty homes in the Borough, that a lot of people could be housed within Healings Mill if it was redeveloped for housing and that the lack of five year housing supply was an ongoing issue that needed to be addressed. She was also concerned that developers were not reducing the impact on the environment as they were still building properties with no solar, no electric vehicle (EV) points, without decent insulation and grey water capability which she felt was a great loss. She also noted that Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) did not allow for the installation of dropped kerbs which was something many disabled people needed. Another Member indicated that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had recently received an interesting presentation from Bromford Housing about modular housing which was eco-friendly and she questioned whether Tewkesbury Borough had considered anything similar. In response, the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment confirmed that a similar development was proposed to be built in Winchcombe. The development had planning permission, but work had not yet commenced.

80.5           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 be                                 APPROVED.

To recommend the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 to Council for approval. 

That it be RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 be APPROVED, subject to the wording around Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople being reviewed for consistency.

92.1           The report of the Housing Services Manager, circulated at Pages No. 32-62, set out the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 and Members were asked to recommend it to the Council for approval.

92.2           The Head of Community Services advised that the current interim Housing Strategy 2021/22 had been put in place as an extension to the previous Housing Strategy 2017-2021 as preparation for a new full Housing Strategy was deferred as a result of COVID-19. Following workshops with key stakeholders, including Members, internal colleagues and external partners, a draft strategy document had been produced and made available for public consultation. The responses to that process had been considered and had helped to inform the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 document which was attached to the report at Appendix 1. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered and endorsed the Strategy at its meeting on 8 February 2022. The consultation responses had been attached to the report at Appendix 3 for transparency purposes – some of the feedback had not been included as it was not relevant but, where necessary, those comments had been passed onto the correct Council team. The Housing Services Manager was working on an action plan for Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider later in the year and that would be reviewed regularly. The Housing Services Manager thanked Members for being part of the process and advised they had been key in the creation of the strategy.

92.3           A Member was of the view that the large number of properties which were being bought to rent out as holiday accommodation meaning they were not available as the first step on the ladder for many young homebuyers was a tragedy. In response, the Head of Community Services advised that the Welsh government had just announced it was implementing a 300% increase in Council Tax for holiday homes, but he was unsure if this was a step the English government would take. Referring to Page No. 43, a Member questioned which land was referred to in the bullet point “utilise land in Tewkesbury Borough Council’s ownership to support the delivery of affordable housing and encourage other public bodies to do likewise”. In response, the Housing Services Manager advised that different options were being explored such as garage sites across the Borough, land owned by Homes England and the Church. In terms of the Spring Gardens and MAFF sites, the Head of Finance and Asset Management explained that the Council was starting to re-engage with the consultants about how to take the sites forward and how they might fit together to meet the needs of Tewkesbury Town. A Member expressed the view that the MAFF site could be pushed forward for a modular housing site; she understood it was constricted but it was fairly central and would be ideal for social housing. Other Members supported that idea. One Member expressed her frustration that the term affordable housing was used when it was not affordable for most; she had thought  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92