Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Housing.

Scrutiny Committee – Community considered the report at its meeting on 1 March 2016 and its comments will be reported.

The report of the Assistant Director Housingwas submitted to advise Members of the proposed Housing Strategy for 2016-2020 and to explain the context in which it had been developed.

Members were advised that the Housing Strategy had been informed by a number of significant factors including emerging Government Policy and work commissioned from the University of Exeter on housing need in the city.

 The three priorities of the Strategy were:-

• address housing need by providing housing advice and support to all residents;
• explore ways of delivering new affordable housing across all tenures; and
• be a good landlord – as the largest landlord in Exeter the Council has an important role to play, both in being a good landlord to its own tenants and as an example to other landlords in the City.

Members supported the Strategy.

Scrutiny Committee – Community considered the report at its meeting on 1 March 2016 and its comments were reported.

RECOMMENDED that Council approves the new Housing Strategy for 2016-2020.

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Housing.

The Assistant Director Housing presented the proposed Housing Strategy 2016-2020 explaining the context in which it had been developed. A copy of the full strategy was appended to the report. The three main elements were:-

• address housing need by providing housing advice and support to all residents;
• explore ways of delivering new affordable housing across all tenures; and
• be a good landlord – as the largest landlord in Exeter an important role to play both in being a good landlord to our tenants and in being an example to other landlords in the city.

The ambitions of providing affordable housing and other housing services as well as capital investment had been significantly affected by the Government’s announcement in the Summer Budget that social rents would be cut by 1% each year over the next 4 financial years; 2016/17 to 2019/20. In addition to the rent cut, a key financial risk related to the High Value Assets Levy, which is likely to require the Council to make a payment to the Government in respect of its ‘high value’ housing.  Due to the uncertainty regarding the definition of ‘high value’ and calculation of the levy payable, it had been considered prudent to increase the HRA contingency from £3 to £4 million over the medium term.

As the ability to build additional homes had been severely restricted there would now be a focus on maintaining and improving the housing stock, which was a significant asset, and this would impact on the capital programme from 2017/1 8 onwards. A further consequence of Government changes would be examination of alternative models of delivery such as exploring the viability of setting up a Council-owned Housing Company which would aim to develop and finance a house building programme outside the Housing Revenue Account. It was noted that the potential of  a Co-operative Housing had also been examined.

As the largest landlord in Exeter, the Council had an important role to play both in being a good landlord to tenants and in being an example to other landlords in the City. The Council would continue to work in partnership with other agencies, primarily through the Private Rented Forum, to improve standards in the private rented sector and would also use its regulatory and enforcement powers where necessary. A Landlords’ Guide had been produced which was being promoted nationally and a Tenants’ Guide would also be produced.

Scrutiny Committee - Community supported the report and requested Executive to note and Council to approve the new Housing Strategy 2016-2020.