Agenda item

To adopt the Housing Strategy 2017-2021.

85.1           The report of the Housing Strategy Review Working Group, circulated at Pages No. 79-250, attached the Housing Strategy 2017-2021 which Members were asked to adopt.

85.2           In proposing the adoption of the Strategy, the Lead Member for Built Environment, and Chair of the Housing Strategy Review Working Group, explained that the five year overarching document took into account the national and local issues that were likely to affect the Borough in the foreseeable future. It also played a key part in delivering the Council Plan and included the statutory requirement for both a Homelessness Strategy and a Tenancy Strategy. The Housing Strategy had been developed by Officers and Members through an Overview and Scrutiny Working Group; the Housing Strategy Review Working Group.  During the process, Members had agreed priorities and objectives that had been presented in an evidence base document for public and stakeholder consultation. A number of areas of concern had been raised within the consultation which had been addressed within the document before the Council and the evidence base had found there to be an extensive number of challenges for the Council which were set out within four key priorities: increasing housing supply; homelessness and homelessness prevention; meeting the needs of specific groups; and improving the health and wellbeing of local people. The detail of those challenges could be found at Page No. 107 of the Council papers where all of the housing challenges, and explanation of how the Council intended to address those issues through the four key priorities, could be found. Under each priority there were objectives which would be focused on over the next five years and those were set out at Page No. 109. The targets and outcomes for delivering those objectives would be included in a detailed action plan and, for year one, an action plan had already been put forward by the Working Group at Page No. 111 of the Council papers. It was proposed that the action plan would be updated annually so the Council could be proactive, as well as reactive, to the challenging needs of the community. It also meant the Council could respond when new government policies were implemented. It was suggested that the action plan would be as flexible as possible so the Council could start new actions when appropriate over the five year period and that it would be approved by the Executive Committee annually with biannual monitoring by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

85.3           In seconding the proposal, the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee thanked the Working Group and the Officers involved for their quick and effective review of the Housing Strategy. He felt the work undertaken had shown the value of scrutiny work. Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Housing Strategy 2017-2021 be ADOPTED.