Issue - meetings

To inform members of the delivery of affordable housing in the borough.

The Scrutiny Commission was informed of the delivery of affordable housing in the borough. Members welcomed the report and were pleased that the minimum numbers in the core strategy had been met.

Discussion ensued on the opportunities for the council to acquire some of the properties coming forward and ongoing discussions with registered providers about taking on some of the properties. It was noted that around 100 properties had been acquired since 2017 and officers kept abreast of such opportunities.

With regard to types of properties, it was noted that the Housing Strategy & Enabling Officer worked closely with the housing allocations team to ensure affordable housing coming forward met the requirement in terms of property type. It was noted that developers weren’t keen on building bungalows on S106 sites so these were in shorter supply.