Issue - meetings

Council received a report which provided information on opportunities and initiatives for improving services and supporting the provision of new and improved affordable housing in the Borough of Hinckley & Bosworth. During discussion, the following points were raised:

·         The need to avoid building new large ‘council estates’ and Members’ preference towards pepper potting affordable homes throughout estates;

·         Concern regarding the high number of empty residential properties in Earl Shilton;

·         The risk of council house waiting lists lengthening in light of the Government’s renewed Right to Buy scheme;

·         The potential for rent arrears to increase due to a reduction in benefits and the way that these were to be paid.

In response to some of these points it was suggested that the Government be lobbied regarding Right to Buy, that work was being undertaken to identify those who may struggle to make payments due to a reduction in benefit payments, and that a private sector leasing scheme would be developed, funded through the Empty Homes Grant, to enable empty properties to be brought back into use. Members were reminded that there was currently a high level of satisfaction with the Council’s housing service.

RESOLVED –

(i)         the Council Housing Investment Strategy and Business Plan be approved;

(ii)        the information contained within the report be endorsed;

(iii)       the Council’s approach to the negotiations on affordable rent products with developers be approved;

(iv)       the principles of the Council’s affordable housing delivery plan be supported;

(v)        the achievement of the private sector housing team in securing an Empty Property Grant of £522,120 from the Homes and Communities Agency be welcomed and a supplementary expenditure and income budget for this amount be agreed;

(vi)       the work undertaken by the Housing Options team to prevent homelessness be acknowledged, along with the award of a grant for £50,015 for the prevention of homelessness due to mortgage arrears and a supplementary expenditure and income budget for this amount be agreed.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Community Direction) attached.

Members were advised of the opportunities and options with regard to improving services and supporting the provision of new and improved affordable housing in the Borough. Discussion was split into five areas.

In introducing the Housing Investment Strategy and Business Plan five key aims of the council house service were outlined. These included investment in existing stock, investing in new build schemes/acquisition of affordable housing, refurbishment of stock which no longer met needs, environmental improvements and investment in service delivery. Key pieces of work would take place during 2012/13 including validation of stock condition information and consultation with tenants and future tenants. The results of this work would enable members to make decisions on priorities and future investment.

With regard to the section of the report on Affordable Rent evidence base and Affordable Rent policy, the following points were raised:

• Developers were having problems engaging with RSLs, perhaps due to lack of available funding or the situation with affordable rent;
• There were opportunities for developers to build on plots of land as an alternative to rural exception sites;
• There was concern about how to prevent high levels of rent arrears due to the changes in the way benefits were paid. Whilst there were options which provided flexibility, officers shared these concerns;
• Although the housing waiting list was continuously increasing, this by itself was not a full reflection of need as not everyone in need registered onto the waiting list. Some work was needed to encourage people to register, particularly for housing in rural areas which gave precedence to local people;
• The number of requests for homelessness advice had increased by 180% over the last few years;
• The importance of Parish & Town Councils undertaking Housing Needs Surveys;
• The encouragement for communities to build property (ie the Government’s ‘Community Right to Build’ scheme).

The Affordable Housing delivery plan was then discussed, including how council-owned sites were used and whether the authority should take on the role of ‘builder’ itself. Whilst some Members felt that there was no need for local authorities to build housing when developers were struggling to engage with RSLs to take on the housing they had built, the importance of considering all options was reiterated. The need to consider building bungalows and extra care schemes was also highlighted.

It was reported that an opportunity had become available through the Homes and Communities Agency to bid for an Empty Homes Gran. The private sector housing team , had been successful in securing £522,120 in order to bring 40 long term empty private properties back into use over the next 3 years.

With regard to the prevention of homelessness due to mortgage arrears, it was reported that due to the high performance of the team in preventing homelessness, a grant of £50,015 had been awarded, which was £20,000 more than had been awarded to any other authorities in the county. It was reported that the mortgage rescue scheme would continue. It was suggested that accessing the services of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25