Agenda item

To endorse the new Housing and Homelessness Strategy prior to consideration by Executive Committee and Council. 

85.1          The report of the Housing Services Manager, circulated at Pages No. 36-65, attached at Appendix 1 the new Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26. Members were asked to endorse the strategy prior to consideration by Executive Committee and Council.

85.2          The Head of Community Services explained that there were many different strands and priorities in relation to housing and it was important to have an overarching strategy which pulled this together and provided a framework for Officers to work within.  Arc Consulting had been appointed to assist with development of the new strategy and a series of workshops had been held with partners and used to develop a draft document for public consultation.  The previous Housing and Homelessness Strategy was a lengthy document containing a lot of detail and, whilst it was important to have the background information as the priorities were based on evidence, it had been challenging to read.  With that in mind, a different approach had been taken and the new strategy, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, was clear, concise and something members of the public would be able to engage with.  It was noted that the action plans which would ensure delivery of the strategy still needed to be developed by the Housing Services Manager and his team.  The Housing Services Manager pointed out that, as well as being an accessible document, the strategy had been informed by Members and stakeholders – Officers had no preconceived ideas about what it would include and had been directed by those who would be using the strategy and would support the authority in meeting its aims.

85.3          A Member drew attention to Page No. 43 of the report which stated there were 1,814 housing register applications as at the end of September 2021 and he asked how many of those were rehoused.  In response, the Housing Services Manager believed it was around 400 but he would need to check this following the meeting.  With regard to Page No. 44, the Member noted that 11,700 new homes and 6,900 new affordable homes were required in the period 2021 to 2024 and he asked how it was intended to drive planning decisions in terms of the type of homes that were built.  The Housing Services Manager explained that the Housing and Homelessness Strategy was not a policy document so, whilst it could highlight the direction of travel, the main opportunity to influence would be via the Joint Core Strategy review.  The Chief Executive advised that affordable homes were provided in a variety of ways.  In terms of housing need, this would be met through the planning policies in Joint Core Strategy 1 and Joint Core Strategy 2 – part of the review of Joint Core Strategy 2 would be to look at policies as they were developed.  Affordable housing may be provided via exemption sites or directly by registered social landlords; there was a tendency to look at the figures and think they were all new housing providers but there were a number of factors to understand and it was more complex than simply looking at planning issues. 

85.4          In response to a query as to the process for returning empty homes to occupation, the Head of Community Services advised that this was currently achieved via encouragement and speaking to landlords but there would be a project around bringing empty properties back into use which would be included within the action plan that was yet to be developed for delivery of the strategy.  A Member asked if there was anything that could be done with regard to privately owned empty homes and was informed there were various incentives which could be offered.  Tewkesbury Borough Council needed to develop its own policy around bringing empty homes back to use and that would be done as soon as resources allowed.   A Member asked for the definition of an empty home and the Head of Community Services undertook to provide this following the meeting.

85.5          A Member noted that 9% of households were considered to be in fuel poverty and he assumed that would only increase going forward.  The Head of Community Services indicated that, unfortunately, that was inevitable and Officers were working very closely with Severn Wye Energy Agency and Warm and Well to expand their schemes; he hoped to shortly bring a positive update to Members about the measures the Severn Wye Energy Agency was putting in place to support residents during this difficult time.  The Housing Services Manager indicated that, given the priorities around carbon reduction and the benefits to tenants, Officers were working with housing authorities to ensure that properties were built to a high standard to begin with in order to avoid the need to retrofit – the Council’s partners should be building to a higher standard than large volume developers.

85.6          A Member drew attention to Page No. 52 of the report and welcomed objective 3 - ensure the right accommodation and support is available for the survivors of domestic abuse – and objective 4 – identify and respond to the housing needs of vulnerable young people, particularly care leavers and those from rural areas – and he asked whether a care leavers covenant was something which could be considered going forward.  The Head of Community Services confirmed that Officers were working with colleagues at Gloucestershire County Council to develop a care leavers covenant specifically for housing.  The Chief Executive indicated that he sat on the County Council’s Corporate Parenting Group and felt strongly that public bodies should give children in care, and care leavers, the best help possible.

85.7          A Member raised concern that there seemed to be a gap in support available to homeowners who struggled to afford to make improvements to their own homes but were ineligible for the grants available to those on a low income and he asked what could be done to address this.  The Head of Community Services confirmed that Officers would be looking at the various schemes available.  In response to a query regarding utilising land within Tewkesbury Borough Council’s ownership for the provision of affordable housing, the Head of Community Services explained that the Council owned very little land and that which it did own was difficult to develop; however, land such as the MAFF site was taken into consideration when looking for opportunities.

85.8          A Member noted that the consultation on the draft strategy had run for six weeks and had been advertised on the Council’s website and she asked whether this had been the right approach given that responses had been quite low.  The Housing Services Manager confirmed that Parish Councils had been sent email reminders so attempts had been made to engage with key stakeholders.  Another Member asked whether consultation events would have been held at public libraries etc. if COVID restrictions had not been a consideration and the Head of Community Services explained that, unless they had a specific interest in housing, it was unlikely that members of the public would want to comment on the strategy.  The consultation had focused on specific interest groups and whilst comments had been received, not all had been relevant to the Housing and Homelessness Strategy specifically, for instance, comments in respect of climate change.  The Corporate Services Manager agreed that, from a social media point of view, most followers would not engage with the consultation unless it was a problem for them so it was about addressing specific groups. 

85.9          Several Members agreed that the strategy was a nicely written document which was easy to read and it was

RESOLVED           That the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 be ENDORSED prior to consideration by Executive Committee and Council.